Marriage at the Vietnamese embassy: marriage, recording a marriage abroad, marital status

The Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin handles several marriage-related procedures for Vietnamese citizens living in Germany: registering a marriage, recording a marriage concluded abroad, and issuing a certificate of capacity to marry. The procedure depends on where the marriage takes place and the nationality of the other person. 2

Who needs this

• The Embassy registers marriages between Vietnamese citizens who both live in Germany, or between a Vietnamese citizen living in Germany and one living in another country. It does not register a marriage between a Vietnamese citizen and a German citizen. 2
• A Vietnamese citizen living in Germany who intends to marry a German citizen at a German registry office can apply to the Embassy for a certificate of capacity to marry (Ehefähigkeitszeugnis). 2
• A marriage concluded before a competent foreign authority can be recorded in the Vietnamese civil-status register if it meets the applicable conditions under Vietnamese marriage law. This can concern a marriage between two Vietnamese citizens or between a Vietnamese citizen and a foreign national. 2

Step by step

1. Choose the relevant Embassy application: marriage registration (Tờ khai đăng ký kết hôn), recording a foreign marriage (Tờ khai ghi chú kết hôn), or certification of capacity to marry (Đơn xin chứng nhận đủ điều kiện kết hôn). The Embassy lists these forms among its marriage procedures. 3
2. Prepare the documents for that procedure. Documents may be submitted as certified copies, or as uncertified copies with the originals presented for comparison, unless an original is specifically required. Foreign-language documents require a translation into Vietnamese or English with the translator’s signature certified (beglaubigte Übersetzung). 2
3. For marriage registration, both partners must be present to sign the marriage certificate and register. The Embassy gives each spouse an original marriage certificate. For a qualifying foreign marriage, it enters the marriage in the civil-status register and issues an original extract of the entry. 2
4. If you want the result returned by post, prepare an addressed return envelope with postage or the return-delivery charge paid. The Embassy may seek verification if it has doubts about a document’s authenticity. 2

Documents

• For marriage registration: the application form, birth certificate, passport, proof of residence status in Germany (Aufenthaltstitel), and a German registration certificate stating marital status (Melde-/Aufenthaltsbescheinigung). Further documents are required in the circumstances specified by the Embassy, including certain previous residences, divorce or widowhood. A medical certificate issued less than six months ago is required if marrying a Vietnamese citizen permanently resident abroad. 2
• For recording a foreign marriage: the application form, passport, proof of residence status in Germany, and the marriage document issued by the competent foreign authority. A Vietnamese record of a foreign divorce or annulment is also required if the Vietnamese citizen previously divorced or had a marriage annulled abroad. 2
• For a certificate of capacity to marry: the application form, birth certificate, passport, proof of residence status in Germany, and a German registration certificate stating marital status. The Embassy also specifies further marital-status documents for applicants with relevant residence histories, divorces or widowhood. 2

Deadlines

• The German registration certificate must have been issued less than six months before submission. Where required, the marital-status certificate from the last place of residence in Vietnam before departure must also have been issued less than six months before submission. The certificate of capacity to marry is valid for six months from issue. 2

City by city

• Berlin: the Vietnamese Embassy’s consular office is at Elsenstraße 3, 12435 Berlin-Treptow. It receives applications on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, excluding holidays, from 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:00. 3