Marriage ceremony 

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 ceremony can be performed also in Finnish-English combination. 

If you do not know the languages mentioned above, you must have an interpreter. As a couple to be married, you must understand the wedding ceremony. 

You can prove your identity with a valid passport or ID card. You can also prove your identity in the marriage ceremony with a driving licence issued in Finland after 1st October 1990. 

You can dress as you like. 

No. 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 close family member can act as a witness. 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. The witnesses do not have to be Finnish citizens or live in Finland.  

Guests can participate in the marriage ceremony. The size of the marriage ceremony premises varies by location.  

Read more about marriage ceremony premises

In the marriage ceremony, both spouses must be present at the same time. The officiator of the marriage ceremony asks the each of the spouses whether they wish to enter into marriage with their spouse. When both of the spouses 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. 

Yes, you can. You can cancel the appointment either with the booking code you have received from the booking system or by submitting the cancellation to [email protected]. We hope that you cancel your time as soon as possible so that we can provide the appointment for other couples. 

Yes, you can. You can choose any service location as your wedding place. 

Both the couple and the witnesses must know the language used in the marriage ceremony and understand the marriage ceremony. If you do not know the language used in the ceremony, you must have an interpreter.  

Ask for an examination of the impediments to marriage first. In the marriage ceremony itself, citizenship is irrelevant. The marriage ceremony can be performed in Finnish, Swedish or English. If your spouse does not know any of these languages, please bring an interpreter.  

Unfortunately, you cannot renew your vows in Finland because you cannot officially renew your wedding vows in Finland. If you want, you can, of course, renew the vows in your own way. 

It is not necessary if the marriage is solemnised at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s premises during office hours.

If you would like a marriage ceremony outside office hours, please send us a free-form request by e-mail to [email protected].