Getting married and move

If you desire to get legally married in Austria, the future spouses must be present at the same time and personally state their wish to get married in front of a registrar. In practice the registrar will ask each of the fiancés one after the other in the presence of either two, one or no witnesses if they want to get married. After the affirmation the registrar will pronounce them legally married.

Please note: Confessional (non-civil) marriages are not considered legally binding by the authorities.

Anyone getting married must first register with a register office [Standesamt]. The wedding ceremony may be performed at another register office[Standesamt].

Registering to Get Married
You can register to have a civil marriage as early as six months prior to the desired wedding date, because the statement of marriageability is only valid for a maximum of six months. There is no minimum interval between registration and the marriage ceremony anymore. However, in larger cities expect an average waiting time of two to six weeks.

Prior to the wedding the civil status office determines the marriageability of the fiancés during an oral interview with the help of the presented documents. During this oral trial usually both partners have to appear in person. Then a certification of marriageability ["Aufgebot"] will be prepared.

Please note: When registering for a civil marriage, the partners can declare to the registrar which name the couple intends to use when married. For that reason it is advisable to decide on the name desired before registering to get married. However, partners can still agree on the name either on their wedding day or during their marriage.

Required documents
Austrian citizens, who are single and of legal majority need:

Official identification with photo
A document which is equivalent to a copy from the birth register if the birth has not been documented or registered in Austria
The birth certificate if the birth happened in Austria (for the purpose of possible data acquisition in the central civil register)
Proof of nationality
Proof of principal residence if it is abroad
If applicable, documentary proof of academic degrees and further documents or further proof upon request
At the register office foreign citizens get information about the required documents for the registration to get married.

If you were previously married or had a registered partnership: in addition

Marriage certificate(s) of the previous marriage or certificate of the previous registered partnership
Proof of nullification/annulment or divorce of previous marriages (Resolution or decree with valid confirmation of the outcome, including a stamp attesting validity!), decree of the nullification of previous registered partnerships
Death certificate of the late spouse
Death certificate of a late registered Partner
In case of a foreign judgment concerning the dissolution of marriage/partnership or marriage/partnership annulment: the final judicial decision of approval, unless the Brussels II a-Regulation applies
If you and your future spouse have one or several joint children: in addition

Birth certificate(s) of the child(ren)
Statement of paternity of the children (if the father is not recorded on the birth certificate(s))
Proof of nationality, if available
Proof of the children’s residence
Anyone who is not a legally independent adult (including those not of marriageable age) also needs:

For 16 to 18 year olds:
Declaration of marriageability issued by a court (with valid confirmation of validity, including a stamp attesting validity!)
Written approval by legal Guardians or equivalent judicial decision
If a trustee has been appointed, his or her written approval or a relevant court decision
Anyone not present when registering to get married also needs the form "Erklärung zur Ermittlung der Ehefähigkeit" (Statement of marriageability).

Please note: If a foreign language document must be presented in the original along with a certified German translation, the translation may only be done by a translator sworn and certified in Austria. Translators from other EU-/EEA-countries can also apply for entry into the list of sworn and judicially certified translators.

In order to accept foreign documents, many countries require an apostille or authentication.

Fees
For the procedure to determine marriageability: 50 euro
For submitting foreign certificates: 130 euro
Additional fees: Federal administrative fee and possibly commission fees
Federal Administrative Fees

Marriage officiated by a registrar in an administrative office during office hours: 5.45 Euro
Marriage officiated by a registrar in an administrative office outside office hours: 10.90 Euro
Marriage officiated by a registrar outside administrative offices in the case of a life-threatening disease of one of the fiancés: 5.45 Euro
Marriage officiated by a registrar outside administrative offices in all other cases: 54.50 Euro
Additional services such as music might incur additional costs.

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