# Civil Marriage - where is easier: Germany or Austria?



## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

Just wondering if someone got married recently in either Germany or Austria and can provide some guidance. 

My fiance is German and I am Mexican and we both reside in the UAE. We are having our wedding reception in Austria, and originally the plan was to have the civil marriage the same day, but after doing some research we found out that 'Foreigners may get married in Austria. However, the procedure requires time and thorough preparation.'

As for Germany: 'Legal weddings in Germany are possible for couples not residing in the county but it is quite difficult to get this done. To receive a wedding license also greatly depends if the local registration office/Standesamt is willing to accept your applications.' And everything on this link suggests that is a nightmare to organise.

So just wondering if anyone has any advice? Could Germany be easier for us since he's German (even though he does not hold a resident status there anymore?). Or is Austria a better option? Honestly what we want to avoid is having to go there in person only to register and start the paperwork and application, and then have to return later on for the actual wedding. No clue if this is possible. Then after that we need to have the papers legalised by the UAE embassy.

Thanks in advance for your comments. If anyone knows of a company that can do all this in our behalf that would be great!


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

dizzyizzy said:


> Just wondering if someone got married recently in either Germany or Austria and can provide some guidance.
> 
> My fiance is German and I am Mexican and we both reside in the UAE. We are having our wedding reception in Austria, and originally the plan was to have the civil marriage the same day, but after doing some research we found out that 'Foreigners may get married in Austria. However, the procedure requires time and thorough preparation.'
> 
> ...



Denmark.

Forget both Germany and Austria unless you have a lot of money to spend and a lot of time on your hands.

My then fiancé and I looked into Switzerland (where we lived at the time) and Germany and both required a huge fee for document verification and had a time frame of six months or longer.

Even lots of German/German couples get married in Denmark because it's less of a headache.

This is where I got married:

Marriage

It's close to the German border and convenient when travelling from Germany by car.

Basically you can get married anywhere in Denmark. There are lots of places that are closer to international airports or especially romantic (I've seen an offer for a castle wedding on an island if I remember right), etc.


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

Thanks a lot for your reply ALKB, very helpful, we will definitely look into this option.


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## miaux (Jul 16, 2014)

Denmark it is... 

After living in Germany and understanding all the complexities and bureocracy, it will take you even a year of constant going to the Rathaus to submit verification papers, and the fact that you are Non-EU ( and non resident) will make things even more complicated and lenghty. Dont expect to to everything in one trip, because it will not happen. While living in Berlin, I met a LOT of German- Mexicans couples, and they ALL got married in Denmark, because of this exact same reason. Plus the marriage certificate in Denmark is in 4 languages and valid across Europe ( including Germany). Dont have any idea on Austria. 

Having been myself through a similar process ( UK) and being mexican, I will highly recomend Denmark, as we dont need shengen visas and it all can be done at once ( for straight couples that is..). 

Congrats on the marriage and all the best!


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