What do I need to arrange if I want to marry in Montenegro?
If you are a Dutch national planning to marry in Montenegro, you will need to provide certain documents. And you may need to meet extra requirements.
Can I get married in Montenegro?
Ask the organisation that you want to perform the marriage in Montenegro if you are allowed to marry there as a Dutch national.
Same-sex couples can get married in Montenegro.
You cannot get married at the Dutch embassy.
Requirements for getting married for Dutch nationals
If you are a Dutch national and you want to marry, you must meet the following requirements:
- You and your partner must be 18 or older. If you are under 18 and you marry abroad, the Dutch authorities will not recognise your marriage until you and your partner are both 18.
- You and your partner must not already be married to or have a registered partnership with someone else.
- If you are under guardianship, you will need the permission of your guardian or of the limited jurisdiction judge (‘kantonrechter’).
- The following family members are not allowed to marry each other or enter into a registered partnership with each other: parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, and brothers and sisters.
What documents do I need to marry in Montenegro?
To get married in Montenegro you will need the following documents:
A declaration of marital status shows that you are unmarried. To get this document, you will need to submit a number of other documents. When you have this declaration, you need to have it translated to Montenegrin or Serbian and have it legalised.
You can get a multilingual international birth certificate in 10 languages from the municipality where you were born. The certificate must have been issued in the last 6 months.
Is my marriage valid in the Netherlands?
Marriages performed in Montenegro are recognised in the Netherlands.
Do I have to register my marriage in the Netherlands?
You may need to register your marriage in the Netherlands. This depends on where you live.
If you live in the Netherlands, you must register your marriage with your municipality. You will need your marriage certificate to do this. Ask the municipality in Montenegro for an international marriage certificate. This document does not need to be legalised. A marriage certificate in the local language must be translated and legalised for use in the Netherlands.
More information about having documents from Montenegro legalised
If you live outside the Netherlands, you can have your marriage certificate converted into a Dutch certificate by the municipality of The Hague. This is not mandatory, but it can be useful if you ever need an extract in the future.
More information about registering a foreign marriage certificate in the Netherlands