Apply for a certificate of no impediment
Source: BUS Rheinland-PfalzIf you are a German citizen wishing to get married abroad and the foreign authorities require a certificate of no impediment to marriage, you can apply for a certificate of no impediment to marriage.
If you wish to marry abroad as a German citizen, the requirements for marriage are determined by German law.
The certificate of no impediment to marriage confirms that there is no impediment to marriage under German law.
You can also apply for a German certificate of no impediment to marriage if you are a stateless person, a homeless foreigner or a foreign refugee within the meaning of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees with habitual residence in Germany and you require the certificate of no impediment to marriage abroad.
This regulation is intended to prevent the marriage from being recognized abroad but not in Germany. It is particularly important for any future children that a marriage entered into abroad is also recognized in the country of origin of the German parent.
If you have more than one nationality, the law of the country with which you are most closely connected will apply.
A certificate of no impediment to marriage can also be issued if the certificate is required to establish a civil partnership abroad.
The registry office in whose jurisdiction the person entering into the marriage has their domicile or habitual residence is responsible for issuing the certificate of no impediment to marriage. If the person entering into the marriage has neither domicile nor habitual residence in Germany, the place of the last habitual residence is decisive. If the person entering into the marriage has never or only temporarily resided in Germany, the registry office I in Berlin is responsible.