Civil marriage

The municipality assumes responsibility for performing civil weddings in Norway. This means that if you are going to be married civilly, your wedding can be officiated by the mayor, deputy mayor or another municipal employee or elected official. 

Contact us to find out which venues and dates we have available.

There are certain conditions in the Marriage Act that you must meet in order to get married. See Chapter 1 of the Marriage Act.

The service is free if you are a resident of the municipality in which you would like to get married. This applies even if you are currently living outside of Norway.

If you would like to schedule the ceremony for a date and location that requires more of the municipal registrar’s time, you should expect to have to cover the additional costs.

If you will not continue living in the municipality in which you are getting married, and the person officiating your wedding is not from the municipality, you may incur charges. You will be informed of this when you contact us.

See in particular Chapter 1 and Sections 11, 12, 12a, 13 and 14 of the Marriage Act.

Forskrift om kommunale vigsler
Ekteskapsloven
Forskrift om registrering og melding av vigsel

Before you get married, the Norwegian Tax Administration must check to see whether you and your partner meet the conditions for entering into marriage. This means that you will need to submit some documents. The processing time is two to three weeks, so have the following ready well before your wedding:

1. Self-declaration
2. Witness declaration
3. Declaration of separation if you have been married in the past
4. Notification of name change if you will be changing your name

All of these forms can be found on the Norwegian Tax Administration website.

The Norwegian Tax Administration will issue what is called a “certificate of no impediment to marriage”, which shows that you both meet the conditions for entering into marriage.

After you have received the certificate in the mail, you can contact the municipality.

You both must have valid IDs to book a wedding ceremony with the municipality.

You must have two witnesses and they must be present at the ceremony. They will usually be your best man and maid of honour.

The municipality will offer you a suitable venue and will let you know on which dates they can offer wedding services.

“The procedure for a civil marriage” will be used for the ceremony, which is the text read by the registrar during the ceremony. The ceremony can be modified, for example, with other text or music. Note, however, that it is up to the municipality to decide what additional content will be allowed.

The municipality will send a notice of marriage to the National Register Office within three days of your wedding. You will also receive a copy. It will serve as a temporary marriage certificate until you receive the official one in the mail from the National Register Office.