Questions about getting married

Registration for the wedding ceremony is generally possible at the earliest six months before the desired wedding day. However, planning for a wedding often begins earlier. That is why you can reserve your desired date up to 18 months in advance in some desired wedding venues. To do this, use the  online wedding calendar of (opens in a new tab) the city of Stuttgart.

Yes, that is of course possible. However, you must register your planned wedding at the relevant registry office in your home municipality. From there, the required documents will be forwarded to the Stuttgart registry office after successful verification. You can use the  online wedding calendar (opens in a new tab) of the city of Stuttgart to reserve the desired date for the marriage.

Since 1998, witnesses are no longer mandatory for a marriage. A maximum of two witnesses can be brought to your wedding. It is important that the witnesses are of legal age and present their ID on the wedding day.

To ensure that you have all the necessary documents ready on the day of your wedding, we have collected all the important information for you on the page about  marriage.

According to German law, you can either agree on a common married name or you can each keep your previous name. The choice of a common married name is also possible later, there is no deadline for this.

However, only the person whose name is not chosen as the married name can adopt a double name. If a spouse chooses a double name, his or her maiden name/family name currently used can be prefixed or added to the married name.

Under foreign law, other legal options may exist.

The ring exchange is not obligatory in a civil wedding ceremony. Of course, you can plan this bonding moment in your wedding ceremony. Simply discuss your desired procedure with your registrar.

A wedding ceremony including speech, ring exchange, signing and possibly a musical background usually takes between 20 and 30 minutes. For more information, please contact the registry office.

Photography is generally permitted during a wedding ceremony. Please discuss film or sound recordings with your registrar in advance. In this way, any arrangements regarding the technology and the set-up can be clarified in advance.

If you have said "I do" abroad, you can apply to have your marriage subsequently certified. German marriage certificates can then be issued. The name used in the marriage can also be determined. To do so, please contact the registry office responsible for you in your place of residence.

Marriage certificates are issued by the registry office from the marriage register. They provide information about the details of a married couple, in particular the surnames or married names used in the marriage and the existence or dissolution of the marriage.