A wedding in the Netherlands does not start with a venue or a dress. It starts with a melding (notice) at the gemeente (municipality). Get the timing and the vocabulary right and the bureaucratic side is genuinely painless. Get it wrong and you can miss your own date. Here is the process and the Dutch that runs it.
Step one: the notice
The formal first step is the melding voorgenomen huwelijk of partnerschap, the notice of intended marriage or registered partnership. As the national government explains, you file it at the gemeente where the ceremony will take place, and the timing window is strict:
- Earliest: one year before the date.
- Latest: two weeks before the date.
The gemeente then checks that you are both legally free to marry, and the ceremony must happen within one year of the notice. Many municipalities, including Amsterdam, now let you file this online with DigiD.
Step two: the witnesses
You need getuigen (witnesses), and the rules are clear: between two and four, each at least 18 years old. A modest ceremony can run on two; bigger ones often use four. You hand their names and details to the gemeente in advance, so decide who they are before you file the notice, not the week of the wedding.
Marriage vs. registered partnership
The Netherlands offers two near-identical legal options:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| huwelijk | marriage |
| geregistreerd partnerschap | registered partnership |
| melding | the notice/registration of intent |
| getuigen | witnesses |
| trouwambtenaar (BABS) | the registrar who marries you |
| aktes | official certificates |
The legal differences between huwelijk and geregistreerd partnerschap are small for most couples (one notable point is how each is dissolved). The booking process at the gemeente is essentially the same.
The vocabulary that gets you through the appointment
When you go in, or fill the form, these phrases carry you:
- “Wij willen een melding doen voor ons voorgenomen huwelijk.” (We want to file notice of our intended marriage.)
- “Wanneer kunnen we trouwen?” (When can we get married?)
- “Hoeveel getuigen hebben we nodig?” (How many witnesses do we need?)
- “Welke documenten moeten we meenemen?” (Which documents must we bring?)
That last question matters, because foreign-born couples often need extra paperwork. If your documents come from abroad you may need an apostille stamp, which we cover in our gemeente guide, and you will be dealing with the same burgerzaken (civil affairs) desk you met when you navigated the gemeente city hall for your registration.
Names and the aftermath
One distinctly Dutch wrinkle: marriage here does not automatically change your surname, and you can choose how your partner’s name is used. We walk through that in registering your surname with the stadhuis. After the wedding, your new status flows into the government’s records automatically, and you can see it reflected in your MijnOverheid data footprint once it updates.
The bottom line
A Dutch marriage or partnership is front-loaded: the real admin is the melding voorgenomen huwelijk, filed at the gemeente between one year and two weeks before the date, with two to four witnesses aged 18 or over lined up in advance. The notice is usually free and often online. Learn the words, melding, getuigen, trouwambtenaar, aktes, ask the gemeente plainly which documents you need, and the bureaucratic part of the happiest day becomes the easy part.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the precise town-hall Dutch a marriage or partnership requires, melding, getuigen, trouwambtenaar, and the documents the gemeente asks for by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can handle the appointment confidently instead of relying on the clerk to switch to English.
Frequently asked questions
How do I register a marriage or partnership in the Netherlands?
You file a melding voorgenomen huwelijk of partnerschap (notice of intended marriage or partnership) at the gemeente where the ceremony will take place. Give notice at the earliest one year and at the latest two weeks before the date. The municipality checks that you are both eligible, and the wedding must happen within a year of the notice. Many municipalities let you file the notice online.
How many witnesses do you need for a Dutch wedding?
Between two and four witnesses (getuigen), and they must be at least 18 years old. For a simple registered partnership or a basic ceremony two is the minimum; larger ceremonies often use four. You provide their names and details to the gemeente in advance as part of the paperwork, so decide who they are before you file.
What does the melding voorgenomen huwelijk cost and mean?
Melding voorgenomen huwelijk means ‘notice of intended marriage’. It is the formal step that tells the gemeente you plan to marry, and starts their eligibility check. The notice itself is usually free, though certified copies of documents you may need (like a birth certificate) can cost money. It is separate from, and earlier than, the ceremony fee, which varies a lot by municipality and date.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for gemeente appointments and getting married?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the precise town-hall Dutch a marriage or partnership requires, melding, getuigen, trouwambtenaar, and the documents the gemeente asks for, in five-minute lessons, so you can handle the appointment confidently instead of relying on the clerk to switch to English.
