When couples who love to travel begin to think about getting married, one of the logical options is to have a destination wedding. It’s not even called eloping all that often anymore, because so many people plan weddings in far-off places and invite their friends and family anyway. Some places, however, make it more difficult than others to get married there if you’re not a resident.
Amsterdam has a unique pull for people wanting to get married, too, as the city is so tolerant of homosexuality – same-sex marriages are performed in Amsterdam on a regular basis. Unfortunately, while the city is open-minded about sexuality, it’s not exactly easy to get married in Amsterdam unless you’re a resident.
The law in the Netherlands that applies to who can get married there includes the stipulation that at least one partner in the proposed marriage must be “a Dutch citizen or a legal resident of the Netherlands with a long-stay permit or asylum status.” In other words, if both people in the couple are from outside the Netherlands, don’t live in the country, and don’t have any permit to stay in the country, the best you can do is honeymoon in Amsterdam – but you can’t get legally married there.
Just in case you’re marrying a Dutch citizen or someone with the necessary legal standing in the Netherlands to qualify, here are some resources to get a bit more information about what you’ll need in order to get married in Amsterdam.
