Marriage ceremony
If you are getting married and wish to have a civil marriage ceremony, you can ask the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to carry out the ceremony. The marriage ceremony can take place in the office premises during office hours or the officiator of the civil marriage ceremony can come to the marriage celebration venue also outside office hours.
At a Local Register Office (Digital and Population Data Services Agency's service location), the marriage of persons of the same or different sex is performed in accordance with the marriage ceremony script provided for in the Marriage Decree. A marriage ceremony that is performed at a Local Register Office can be officiated by a district registrar or a public notary.
Before the marriage, impediments to marriage are examined. The impediment examination certificate must be submitted to the officiator before the marriage ceremony can take place. The engaged parties have to prove their identity to the officiator before the marriage ceremony. At least two witnesses 15 years of age or older must be present at the ceremony. Due to the coronavirus pandemic the bridal couple must bring their own witnesses. We ask that you keep the number of the wedding guests as small as possible.
A marriage concluded in a registered religious community, District Court or Local Register Office is registered in the Population Information System upon notification by the officiator.
Officiating a marriage ceremony at a Local Register Office or in a place registered for marriages during office hours is free of charge.
Do the following
- Impediments to marriage must be investigated before the marriage ceremony. You must bring the certificate to the marriage ceremony.
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If electronic identification is not possible, please fill in the form, print it and send it to us.
Fill in the form - Book a time for the marriage ceremony online. You can also call or e-mail to book a time.
- If you wish that the marriage ceremony is performed outside the working hours, please contact us by e-mail
Checklist
- The certificate of non-impediment must be present in the marriage ceremony. If you have requested that the certificate of non-impediment is sent to your home, you must bring the certificate to the marriage ceremony.
- Before the marriage ceremony, you must prove your identity with a valid proof of identity.
- Two witnesses of at least 15 years of age must be present in the marriage ceremony. You must bring the witnesses to the ceremony. Due to the coronavirus situation, we ask that you keep the number of the wedding guests as small as possible.
Price
A marriage ceremony performed during office hours (weekdays 9.00-16.15) in the office premises is free of charge.
A marriage ceremony performed outside office hours is subject to a fee of 250 €. A marriage ceremony performed during office hours but outside of office premises is subject to a fee of 150 €. In addition, travel expenses of the officiator to the marriage ceremony location will be charged.
Please note that not all service locations are able to provide an officiator outside of the premises during office hours.
Frequently asked questions
The marriage ceremony lasts a couple of minutes.
Civil marriage ceremony is performed by the officiator by reciting the following script to the couple in the presence of the witnesses.
“The purpose of marriage is the establishment of a family for the common good of its members and the preservation of society. Marriage is intended to be permanent so as to allow the family members to establish a happy home together.”
“Before these witnesses I ask you [person’s name]: Will you take [person’s name] to be your spouse, to love, for better or for worse?”
Response: I will.
“Before these witnesses I ask you [person’s name]: Will you take [person’s name] to be your spouse, to love, for better or for worse?”
Response: I will.
“As you have both answered the question in the affirmative, I now pronounce you spouses.”
“Take the ring from your spouse as a sign of your union.” This sentence is omitted if no ring is to be given.
”You are now joined together in marriage. As spouses you are equal. Show love and mutual trust for each other in marriage and act together for the good of the family.”
The marriage ceremony can be performed in Finnish, Swedish and English. The availability of other languages varies by locality. Please contact the office to check the available languages.
Your identity is verified from a valid proof of identity document. A Finnish citizen can prove their identity in the marriage ceremony with a driving licence issued in Finland after 1 October 1990.
You can dress as you like.
If you wish, you can give a ring to the other spouse or both spouses. Whether rings are given or not will affect the script of the marriage ceremony a little. If you have not already done so, notify the officiator about your wish to give one or more rings in the marriage ceremony.
A witness does not have to be unexceptionable, so a close family member can act as a witness. The witness does not have to be a Finnish citizen or live in Finland. The witnesses must be at least 15 years of age. If necessary, the witnesses must also prove their age. It is recommended that also the witnesses have a personal identity document with them.
Guests can participate in the marriage ceremony. The size of the marriage ceremony premises varies by location. Due to the coronavirus situation, we ask that you keep the number of the wedding guests as small as possible.
In the marriage ceremony, both fiancé(e)s must be present at the same time. The officiator of the marriage ceremony asks the each of the fiancé(e)s whether they wish to enter into marriage with their fiancé(e). When both of the fiancé(e)s have given an affirmative answer to the question, the officiator declares the couple as marital spouses. There is no other way to conclude a marriage.
Contact us
Please use secure email if your message contains personal or otherwise confidential information. Choose one of these addresses as the recipient:
Telephone
Telephone service from Monday to Friday 9–12
Telephone number +358 295 536 244, the service number is national.
Postal address (prenuptial agreements)
Digital and Population Data Services Agency, P.O. Box 1003, FI-02151 Espoo
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