Getting married in Hungary

Marriage registration

If you want to have a wedding in Hungary, meaning you want to register a marriage within the jurisdiction of Hungary, you have to be at least 18 years old but you don't have to hold a Hungarian nationality. That being said the process may be easier, if you hold multiple nationalities and you register your marriage with your Hungarian nationality.

The first legal step in the marriage registration process, is stipulate your intention to get married in Hungary, or in other words, to get your marriage license.

The stipulation must be made at the local municipality of the town or in case of Budapest, the local municipality of the district, where you eventually want to get married. You can have your wedding in the registrar's office, or off-site at a wedding venue. In the latter case, you must check the venue's address and register at the local municipality of that town/district. For example, if you want to have a wedding ceremony at the Fisherman's Bastion, since the Bastion is in the 1st District of Budapest, you must register at the 1st District Municipality. Or if you'd like to have a lake-side wedding at the Balaton, you must pick a specific town and register at their local municipality.

The stipulation must be made, in case of foreign nationals, at least 60 days prior to the date of your desired wedding date, or in case of Hungarian nationals 30 days prior. If at least one of you is a foreign national, you should declare your intent 60 days before your wedding date. Also consider that weddings must be officiated by an official registrar or the local municipality, so the actual date of your wedding will also depend on the registrar's availabilities.

It goes without saying that both parties of the couple must appear in person at the same time and must declare their mutual intention to marry before the registrar at the registrar's office.

The reason why this initial declaration is required is so that the registrar can verify that your marriage complies with the rules of Hungary and your countries of nationality, i.e. you are both of age, voluntarily willing, and don't infringe the prohibition of poligamy.

The second legal step to register your marriage in Hungary, is to have your actual wedding.

At the wedding, you will both have to appear in person (non-intoxicated or incapacitated) with your 2 witnesses. You will first have to declare your intent your marry and then sign your marriage certificate, which you will receive right away at the ceremony. Marriage certificates are in Hungarian and English.

Required Documents

The stipulation of your intention to marry must be made on an official form of the registrar's office, which must include all the mandatory enclosures. Please note that since Hungarian is the official langiage of Hungary, all of your official documents must be and may only be translated into Hungarian by the Hungarian Office of Translation and Attestation. Your documents must also be dated within 6 months of your wedding date.

The following documents are required to register a marriage in Hungary:

- A completed application form.

- Valid passports that do not expire within 6 months before or after your wedding date.

- Birth certificates of both applicants, including the names of your mothers and fathers.

- Documents to prove your place of residency (e.g. your residence permit in Hungary but you don't have to be a resident of Hungary.)

- Single Status Certificates, declaring that neither of you are married or in a registered partnership. These must be obtained from the consulate/embassy or Department of Foreign Affairs in your home country. Hungarian citizens can obtain a Certificate of Marital Status from the local government office (kormányhivatal). If either of you is divorced from a previous marriage, then you should provide divorce decision/certificate. If either of you is a widow, then you should provide a death certificate of the deceased spouse.

Good to know!

While registering your marriage is free of charge, you will have to pay a fee for the various services you retain at the registrar's office during your wedding ceremony and/or an additional fee if your ceremony takes place at an off-site wedding venue. The local municipalities provide an exact list of services and prices.

If you wish to change your names or give your future children a certain family name then you should decide this prior to making your stippulation as you will have to indicate this on the application form, and this will be mentioned on your marriage certificate. The registrar will declare it on your application.

If you wish to have a church wedding, you must contact the local church. Please note that religious weddings are not recognised by the state but civil marriages of Hungary are recognised all over the world.

Hungarian law does not permit same-sex marriage but same-sex couples may register a civil union, and enjoy almost all the same rights as married couples.

If you need any legal assistance with getting married in Hungary or you are thinking of signing a prenup, please don't hesitate to contact us!