topeater

My fiancé and I are thinking about getting married in Munich close to Christmas. We are both in our 50's & just want to do something special. Seems like the paperwork is confusing. We are both American citizens, his grandparents immigrated from Germany. I've been looking on the internet to see if there is an agency that might navigate the maze for us, but so far, no luck. Any ideas?

Thanks for any help!

treplow

Did you check with the US General Consulate in Munich or the proper authorities here in the US? Your problem may be that you are both US citizens. Otherwise, perhaps finding a German attorney (Rechtsanwalt) or Notar (these have many more official functions than a notary here in the US)who handles such functions might be helpful. My wife and I (she, at the times was US citizen, I a German citizen)m found that it was much simpler to getting married here in the US and spending our honeymoon in Germany.

ellenem

Here's the official site for the U.S. Embassy in Germany:

http://germany.usembassy.gov/acs/getting_married/

lavandula

I married my husband in Wiesbaden - we are both Australians and were living in Wiesbaden at the time. Every state has its own rules. It's not necessarily a problem that you are both Americans but it is quite a lengthy process and you may not get your Christmas date unless you can start planning ASAP. I think your first port of call should be the Standesamt in Munich, and ask them for a list of the documents you will need to provide to get married, especially as you are foreigners. You will need to have your paperwork translated by a certified translator (preferably in Munich, they know the procedure and how documents should be presented for their Standesamt), and if you are not both fluent in German you will need an interpreter for the ceremony. In our case our translator was also experienced in interpreting for weddings. My husband is not as fluent as I am in German.

To give you some idea of what takes so long, we had to visit the Standesamt (registry office) numerous times after each phase of the process and have interviews with them, had to get a Notar (notary public) to sign attestations that we were both free to marry, and we also needed to get a friend to make such a declaration for each of us. Our papers also had to go to the High Court to be cleared, which is standard and takes a few weeks. We started the process in September and were married by January, with short notice of the dates, although if we had wanted to delay it and get married in summer, for instance, it would have been possible. It's also a civil wedding so if you guys are religious it's up to you to organise ceremonies through the religion of your choice for after the event. I would also try to seek out pretty Standesämter as not all of them are that attractive. The Standesamt may also be able to suggest to you a Notar and translator.

I don't want to bore you with the legal details, especially if it's going to be different in Munich, unless you come back here and want some of the terminology, and it will probably be different in your case anyway, being Munich. I keep a folder of the (numerous) documents we needed to marry so I can give you some guidelines. Not impossible, just lengthy, so be patient!

Lavandula

nytraveler

I think what you need is a local wedding planner who knows how to navigate the paperwork needed in Germany - esp if either of you has been married before.

Try theknot.com or other bridal web sites for someone that specialized n Germany.

Also you don;t say if you are looking for a church or civil wedding - and for church ceremonies you would also have to meet the requirements of that denomination.

topeater

Thank you all so much. I found a website that diagrammed how to get married in Germany. Seemed to be a lot of fill out this form, pay money, fill out another form, wait, fill out another form, etc. I will check out all the info. Wish us luck!!!

quokka

Paperwork is complicated enough for German citizens and Germany residents. If none of the two of you has residence in Germany, I am not even sure whether it is possible at all - even if it is, you will need professional help.

Have you considered a civil wedding at home first, and a religious ceremony afterwards in Munich? That would ease your lives notably.

Ah yes, and congratulations on your upcoming marriage!

Hans

I agree with quokka that it'd simplify things. The important point about the religious ceremony is that it has no legal meaning in Germany, i.e. you don't need any of the documentation required for the civil wedding.

topeater

Thanks for the info. We are not religious, so that has no meaning for us. I agree, we need professional help! Have you heard of anyone that does that sort of thing?

lavandula

I just googled 'destination weddings Germany' and got quite a few hits. Maybe one of those can help you out. Let us know how you go!

Lavandula

Shanna

I am no help at all. But just wanted to say, you are living the dream. Don't let the paperwork stop you.