Issuance of a marriage certificate/international marriage certificate
Up-to-date information on the details included in a marriage certificate, applying for a marriage certificate, costs of issuing a marriage certificate, etc.
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General information
Caution
These rules apply to all marriage ceremonies in Austria.
Marriage certificates are one of the four essential civil status documents, along with birth certificates, death certicates and partnership certificates.
The marriage certificate includes
- the surnames of the spouses following marriage,
- academic degrees/professional title,
- forenames,
- other names,
- their surnames prior to marriage,
- date and place of birth,
- optionally, membership of a legally recognised church or religious community and
- the date and place of the marriage ceremony.
On request, there is the option for a multilingual international marriage certificate to be issued.
Requirements
To prevent third parties from freely accessing your data, the right to have a marriage certificate issued is limited to a specific group of people.
The following people can request a marriage certificate, provided that this is not precluded by any overriding interests worthy of protection in respect of the persons to whom the registration relates:
- persons to whom the registration relates and other persons whose civil status is affected by the registration
- persons who establish a legal interest in doing so
Competent authority
For marriages after 1 January 1939:
All authorities responsible for civil status, i.e.:
- the registry office or registry office associationGerman text of the municipality
- in chartered urban districts: the registry office of the municipal executive
- in Vienna: the → registry offices in ViennaGerman text (MA 63)
For marriages from 1 August 1938 to 31 December 1938:
The competent district administrative authority in the place where the ceremony took place:
- the district authorityGerman text
- in chartered urban districts: the municipal executiveGerman text
- in Vienna: the → registry offices in ViennaGerman text
For marriages prior to 1 August 1938:
- the parish office of the church parish of the location where the ceremony took place
Procedure
An application must be submitted to the relevant body for a marriage certificate or international marriage certificate to be issued. Applications can be made in person, in writing or electronically (with a citizen cardGerman text).
A marriage certificate is generally issued immediately if applied for in person.
Required documents
- for applicants appearing in person: official photo ID
- if applicable, evidence for the purpose of establishing a legal interest
Costs and fees
For the application
- verbally: no fee
- in writing: 14.30 Euro
- electronic application using a citizen cardGerman text (e.g. mobile phone signature): 8.60 Euro
For the issue of a marriage certificate
- federal administration fee: 7.20 Euro
- federal administrative levy: 2.10 Euro
There are generally additional costs for sending the marriage certificate. Please inquire about this at the competent registry office.
Further information
For Austrians abroad, it is possible to have the certificate printed out by the Austrian diplomatic representations if all of the required data is available in the Central Register of Civil Status (ZPR). Austrian citizens and stateless persons (with their habitual place of residence in Austria) can apply for a foreign marriage certificate via the Austrian diplomatic representations or the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (acquiring a certificate).
Further links
- Austrian diplomatic representations abroad (→ BMEIA)German text
- Acquiring a certificate from abroad (→ BMEIA)German text
Legal basis
- Personenstandsgesetz 2013 (PStG 2013)
- Personenstandsgesetz-Durchführungsverordnung 2013 (PStG-DV 2013)
Responsible for the content: Federal Ministry of the Interior