If you are a German citizen who wishes to get married abroad and the foreign authority where you plan to marry requires a certificate of no impediment to marriage, you can apply for one.
If you are a German citizen planning to marry abroad, the requirements for marriage are governed by German law.
The certificate of no impediment to marriage confirms that there are no legal impediments to the intended marriage under German law.
You may also apply for a German certificate of no impediment to marriage if you are a stateless person, a foreigner without a country of origin, or a foreign refugee as defined by the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, with your habitual residence in Germany, and you need the certificate to marry abroad.
This provision is intended to prevent a situation where a marriage is recognized abroad but not in Germany. It is particularly important for any future children that a marriage concluded abroad is also recognized in the country of origin of the German parent.
If you hold multiple nationalities, the law of the country with which you have the closest connection applies.
A certificate of no impediment to marriage may also be issued if the certificate is required to establish a civil partnership abroad.
The registry office within whose jurisdiction the person getting married has their domicile or habitual residence is responsible for issuing the certificate of no impediment to marriage. If the person getting married has neither a domicile nor a habitual residence in Germany, the place of their last habitual residence is decisive. If the person getting married has never resided in Germany or has only resided there temporarily, the Civil Registry Office I in Berlin is responsible.
Application for a court decision pursuant to Section 49 of the Civil Status Act (PStG).
Depends on the individual case.
