Marriages in accordance with foreign law – step-by-step

If you intend to marry in accordance with foreign law, you must check with the authorities in the relevant country to find out what documentation they will require.

If the country where you intend to marry requires a license to solemnise your marriage, we can issue a marriage license. A marriage license will prove that, according to Norwegian law, there is nothing that is hindering you from getting married. To issue a marriage license, the Norwegian Tax Administration must verify that the conditions for marriage have been met.

If both of you are resident in Norway

If both of you are resident in Norway, the Tax Administration will usually verify that the conditions for marriage have been met for both parties. 

Even if you’re resident in Norway as a foreign citizen, you may not need a marriage license from Norwegian authorities.

If you’re a foreign citizen living in Norway, you must usually provide documentation from the authorities in your country of citizenship.

Check with the authorities in the country where you’re getting married to find out what type of documentation you need.

Norwegian citizen and foreign citizen who is not resident in Norway

If you’re a Norwegian citizen marrying a foreign citizen who is not resident in Norway or who does not have any other connection with Norway, the Tax Administration can usually only verify that the conditions for marriage have been met for you.

Your future spouse must submit the documentation from their country of citizenship to the authorities in the country where you are getting married.

This means that the applicable documentation requirements for verification in Norway only apply to you.

Norwegian citizen who is not resident in Norway

Norwegian citizens who have moved away from Norway must usually provide documentation from their country of residence in order to be issued a certificate of no impediment to marriage or a marriage license.

The fastest way to apply for a marriage license, is to do so online. You must be able to log in with BankID or similar.

Apply for a certificate or license


The online form consists of both the personal declaration and the declaration from your sponsors.

If you wish to send a paper application instead, you must fill in the forms below and submit them collectively to us at:

The Tax Administration
Postboks 9200 Grønland
0134 Oslo
Norway

 

Have you been married before?

In the case of people who are divorced according to foreign law, the divorce must be authorised by the County Governor. The requirement for authorisation does not apply if the divorce was carried out in another Nordic country, as long as both spouses were resident and had citizenships in a Nordic country at the time of the divorce.

Marriages according to foreign law

If you get married in accordance with foreign law, and if the person you’re marrying has not been resident in Norway, you must attach information about this person’s full name, date of birth, place of birth and citizenship.

Download the form for information regarding your future spouse 

If the application for a marriage licence is approved, you’ll receive a confirmation via Altinn or by post. We’ll also send the licence to the County Governor or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for it to be endorsed with an apostille or legalisation.

The actual licence will be sent to you by post after being endorsed with apostille or legalisation.

You must forward the marriage license to the solemniser yourself and agree upon a time for the wedding ceremony.

The license is valid for 4 months.

Important information

Hjerte

We in the Tax Administration send you our best wishes for the day and your future together!

To have your marriage recognised in Norway, you must present your original marriage certificate to the Norwegian Tax Administration. Send it to us at: 

The Tax Administration
Postboks 9200 Grønland
0134 Oslo
Norway


We return the original marriage certificate by registered mail.

Please note that what is deemed valid documentation when getting married outside of Norway varies greatly from country to country.

Getting married in a Nordic country:

You must submit the original marriage certificate.

Getting married in the following countries:

Africa: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iraq, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Vietnam and Yemen.
Europe: Kosovo.

Certificates from these countries have little or no credibility because they are often forged. Exceptions may be made if the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has accepted the marriage in connection with a family reunion. The same will apply if a Norwegian foreign service mission has verified the marriage.

Getting married in other countries:

The certificates must be original and be endorsed with an apostille or be legalised by the country's foreign ministry. Certificates that have been verified by a Norwegian foreign service mission will also be accepted.

The need for translation

Translation may be necessary if the certificate is in another language than English, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic or Finnish. If the certificate has been translated, you must provide both the original certificate and the translation.

If the certificate has been translated in a country outside the Nordic countries, the translation must be endorsed with an apostille or be legalised by the country’s foreign ministry.

 

Once the marriage has been recognised in Norway, it will be registered in the National Population Register. We’ll send you an overview of the registered information. On “My page” you will find your spouse’s name and date of birth and the change in your marital status.

See case processing times for solemnisation of marriage in accordance with foreign law