Wed

Notification of intended marriage (formerly called 'banns of marriage')

• This is possible from 1 year before the wedding date (see ' Arrange online ').
• Would you like to set the date earlier? Then send an email to trouwen@zoetermeer.nl . You should then report this 1 year before the wedding date.
• Report this no later than 14 days before your wedding date in the municipality where you are getting married.
• The notification is valid for 1 year after the officiary received it.
• Do you both live abroad? And does at least one of you have the Dutch nationality? If so, you should file the notification with the municipality of The Hague.
• The reservation is not fixed until it is confirmed by the municipality. Due to many weddings at the same time, for example, there may not be a wedding officiant available or the Commission Room may be occupied.

Simple wedding

• Tuesday morning at 9:45 a.m. or 10:15 a.m. at City Hall.
• Just the official act, no speech.
• No choice of registrar.
• Average waiting time: approximately 6 months.
• Maximum number of visitors: 15 (including the bride and groom and witnesses).

Get married for free

• Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. or 9:15 a.m. at City Hall.
• Just the official act, no speech.
• No choice of registrar.
• Average waiting time: approximately 10 months.
• Maximum number of visitors: 15 (including the bride and groom and witnesses).

Rules for getting married

• You are both 18 years of age or older.
• Neither of you are already married and you are not in a registered partnership with someone else.
• You may not be forced to marry.
• Are you under guardianship? Then you need permission from the curator or Subdistrict Court Judge.

Foreign documents (deeds)

You must submit foreign documents before you can report proposed marriage/registered partnership if:

• Your parents' details are not registered in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP).
• You were previously married and the marriage was dissolved abroad by divorce or death (and this has not yet been registered in the BRP). You can check the above at www.mijnoverheid.nl.
• If one of these situations applies to you or your partner, please contact the municipality in good time.

Keep in mind:

• Requesting foreign documents can sometimes take several months.
• These documents often also need to be legalized and translated.
• For more information, visit www.rijksoverheid.nl.

You marry in limited community of property

Previously, you automatically married in community of property. You shared all your possessions with your husband or wife. Since January 1, 2018, you marry in limited community of property . Would you like to arrange this differently? Then you can have a deed with prenuptial agreements drawn up in advance by a notary.

Getting married in church

Do you also want to get married in church? That is only possible after you have been married in the municipality.

You can indicate your preference for a marriage officer. They will be happy to introduce themselves to you: Who will be your marriage officer? We will take your wishes into account as much as possible.

It is also possible to have someone appointed as a marriage officer for one time. To do so, fill in the form under ' Arrange online ' fill in the form.

This form can be submitted up to 3 months before the wedding.

• A marriage certificate is given after the wedding when it has been requested and paid for.
• This booklet has space for church notes and for registering children.

Both men and women may use their partner's surname after marriage. Your own surname does not change, only the name you are addressed with. 

For more information, see: Using changing your surname .

You can request a certificate immediately after the marriage. More information can be found at: Copy (extract) civil registry .

• UnderArrange online" complete the form.
• After submitting the form, we will contact you.

Wedding location

You must contact a wedding venue yourself to see if the wedding date is available and to discuss the additional costs.

Watch your wedding live via livestream

We offer you the opportunity for your loved ones who cannot attend the ceremony to watch it live (via a livestream connection).

How does it work? 

• When booking your wedding date, please indicate whether you want a livestream connection.
• You will receive a link with a code. You share this link and code with your guests.
• At the time of the wedding, your guests log in via the link and code so that they can watch the ceremony live.
• At the moment this service is free, in the future we will ask for a contribution for this.

Cancel or reschedule

Please note! Cancelling a fixed date can only be done by letter stating your account number. Cancelling costs money, regardless of the reason. This also applies to free weddings. Do you want to change the date or time? Then you will pay costs for the change.

To do this, fill in the field ' Arrange online ' fill in the form.

Do you want to enter into a registered partnership? All information about this can be found at: Registered partnership .

Notification of marriage

Would you rather make the announcement at the City Hall? This is only possible if you already know where and when you are getting married and who your witnesses are. We would also like to hear your preference for a registrar. For an appointment, call 14 079 .

You both come to the appointment and you bring with you: 

• A valid identification document.
• Copy of valid ID of the witnesses.
• Do you want your own marriage officer? Then bring the completed form Request for appointment of marriage officer for 1 day (pdf) with you.

From partnership to marriage

Do you want to convert your registered partnership to marriage? 

Use the form:

Converting a registered partnership into a marriage

Appoint a registrar for 1 day

Use the form: 

Request for appointment of marriage officer for 1 day (pdf)

You pay the cost in advance. We will send you a bill for it.

Cost of marriage or registered partnership

Note! This does not include the cost of the venue. The chosen venue will charge you separately for this.

Other costs

Price changes and typographical errors reserved.

Converting registered partnership to marriage

Converting a registered partnership to marriage at the counter is free of charge. Do you want a full ceremony? Then you pay the same fees as for marriage (see above). 

• Getting married in Zoetermeer
• Who will be your wedding officiant?
• Central government | Marriage, cohabitation contract and registered partnership

Other products

• Change usage surname
• Registered partnership
• Getting married abroad