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Your selected location: Lathen

Which place to enter?

The location is used to determine the responsible office for the selected administrative service. In most cases you can enter your place of residence to find the competent authority. However, there are also cases in which a different location must be specified. Here are some examples:

Birth certificateYou want to get married and need a birth certificate. You live in Hanover, but you were born in Celle. You must therefore state your place of birth, i.e. Celle.

Business registrationYou would like to register a business in Braunschweig. Your place of residence is Hanover. You must therefore state the location of your future business, i.e. Braunschweig.

Apply for a building permitYou would like to build a house in Wunstorf and therefore apply for a building permit. Her place of residence is currently Hanover. You must indicate the place where the house is to be built. In this case it is Wunstorf.

Application for exemption from presentation of the certificate of marriageability for foreign nationals.

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If you want to marry in Germany as a foreign national, the requirements for marriage are determined by the law that applies in your home country.

This regulation is intended to prevent the marriage from being recognized in Germany but not in your home country. It is of great importance, especially for future children, that a marriage contracted in Germany is also recognized in the country of origin of the foreign parent.

Therefore, you must always submit a certificate of marriageability from your home country. With this certificate of marriageability, the competent authority in your home country confirms that there are no obstacles to your intended marriage under the law of your home country.

If you have more than one nationality, the law of the country with which you have the closest connection is to be applied. If you also have German citizenship, this takes precedence.

In individual cases, you can apply for an exemption from the obligation to present a certificate of marriageability. This is done at the President of the competent Higher Regional Court in whose district you have registered the marriage.

This is possible for you if you belong to one of the following groups of persons:

  • Nationals of states whose authorities do not issue certificates of marriageability.
  • Nationals of states that issue certificates of marriageability, but if this is objectively impossible. This applies, among other things, to situations in which foreign law denies marriage for reasons that are incompatible with the freedom of marriage guaranteed by the Basic Law, for example, if the foreign home law prohibits remarriage after a divorce.

They do not need a certificate of marriageability and exemption if they belong to the following group of persons:

  • Recognized persons entitled to asylum,
  • foreign refugees,
  • homeless foreigners, and
  • Stateless persons with permanent residence in Germany.

Their status must be proven by an appropriate travel document.

If you apply for an exemption from the certificate of marriageability, the President of the Higher Regional Court will check in place of the foreign authority whether there is an obstacle to marriage under your home country's law or whether a requirement for marriage is missing. There must also be no obstacle to marriage under German law. Thus, it may have to be checked whether any previous marriages have been effectively dissolved in this context.

The exemption is valid for a period of 6 months.

Who should I contact?

Responsible authorities

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Samtgemeinde Lathen - Standesamt
Address: Erna-de-Vries-Platz 7, 49762 Lathen
Timetable
Postal address: Post Office Box 1154 , 49758 Lathen
Timetable
Telephone: 05933 66-0
Fax: 05933 66-66
Email: Get in touch
www: https://www.lathen.de
Transport Connection:
Station Lathen, Marktplatz
Bus: Linie 931
Parking:
Parking Place: „Erna-de-Vries-Platz“, Number: 10, Fees: no
Handicapped Parking Place: „Erna-de-Vries-Platz“, Number: 3, Fees: no
Building Access
elevator available, wheelchair-accessible

Contact

Herr Dietmar Wilkens
Telephone: 05933 66-25
Fax: 05933 66-125
Email: Get in touch
Department:
Fachbereich Sicherheit & Ordnung, Bürgerservice
Room:
E.4
responsible for:

Requirements

To obtain an exemption from presenting or proving a certificate of marriageability, the following requirements must be met:

  • You have registered a marriage with the relevant registry office.
  • There must be no impediment to marriage under German law, for example:
    • if one of the persons wishing to enter into marriage with each other is already married to a third person or is living in a civil partnership
    • if the persons are related to each other in a straight line as well as between siblings of the same parents or siblings who have only one parent in common
    • if any previous marriages have not been validly dissolved
    • if one of the persons has been previously adopted by the other person

Applications / forms

Forms:
Online process available:
Written form required:
Personal appearance required:

Which documents are required?

To apply for the exemption, you will need:

  • Proofs in the original, certified copies are usually not sufficient:
    • on identity, nationality and parentage and marital status
      • Passport,
      • identity card or
      • suitable identification document
    • If necessary for dissolution of previous marriages: Marriage certificate and, for example, death certificate, transcript from the marriage register or divorce decree with legal effect.
  • The documents must not be older than 6 months - from the time they are issued to the time they are presented to the registry office. Your registry office will inform you in which form (for example, with apostille or legalization) the documents can be used.
  • Proof of earnings for both fiancées, showing the monthly net income, for the calculation of the processing fee for the court decision
  • Current residence certificates from the German registration office with explicit indication of marital status for both fiancées, provided they have their residence in the Federal Republic of Germany
  • For foreign fiancées still residing abroad: an original certificate of residence issued by the competent home authority with a translation into the German language

What are the fees?

  • For the exemption from the presentation/proof of the certificate of marriageability: EUR 15.00 to EUR 305.00.
  • In case of refusal or withdrawal of the application: half of the fee for granting the exemption, but at least EUR 15.00

Process flow

You can only submit the application for exemption via the registry office. You also do not have to address preliminary and factual inquiries to the Higher Regional Court, but exclusively to the registry office.

  • Register your marriage at the registry office responsible for you.
  • Apply there for exemption from presentation/proof of the certificate of marriageability (application form). It is not possible to apply directly to the Higher Regional Court. The registrar's office is your sole point of contact in the exemption procedure.
  • The registrar's office prepares the application and advises you in individual cases on any documents that are still required.
  • The registrar's office forwards your application with the complete documents and evidence to the competent Higher Regional Court.
  • The president of the Higher Regional Court will check in place of the foreign authority whether there is an obstacle to the marriage according to your home country's law or whether a prerequisite for marriage is missing.
  • You will receive a decision informing you of the decision on your application.
  • You will also receive a notification of costs. Pay the fees.

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

You do not have to observe any deadlines. However, be sure to plan for the possible duration of the procedure in your wedding preparations.

Legal basis

Appeal

Request for court decision

Author

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Source: Serviceportal Niedersachsen (Portalverbund des Bundes und der Länder)

Further Links

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Single points of contact of the state of Lower Saxony, Single points of contact of the countries of Europe, advice and assistance for EU citizens and their families.
Access information on the single point of contact for the state of Lower Saxonyvisit Website Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEsVisit advice and assistance for EU citizens and their families