Here is what you need to know if you are going through the asylum process and want to get married in the Netherlands

Not everyone in a relationship in the Netherlands lives with their partner. And not everyone who lives with a partner is married. In the Netherlands, you can live with a partner without formalising the relationship legally.

If you want to formalise your relationship legally and make it official, you can draw up a

There are differences in rights and obligations between marriage, a registered partnership and a cohabitation agreement.

Cohabitation agreement

Under the law, a cohabitation agreement does not establish that you are a couple. Therefore, you do not automatically have rights and obligations. For example, you are not automatically entitled to each other’s inheritance. You make agreements together regarding the rights and obligations within your relationship. You can draw up a cohabitation agreement together. However, a notary usually handles this.

Registered partnership

When you get married or start a civil partnership, you automatically have legal rights and obligations to each other. For example, you have the right to each other's inheritance and the duty to take care of each other. Would you rather define for yourself what you do and do not share with each other? You can make arrangements about that before your marriage or registered partnership with the help of a notary public.

Marriage

Marriage and a registered partnership are very similar. However, there are a few differences. For example, when you get married, you have to say "I do". That is not required for a registered partnership. And if you are married, you must always go to court if you want to get a divorce.

If you want to get married and are in the asylum process, you will need a birth certificate from your country of origin to show that you are 18 years of age or older. You will also need an official statement confirming that you are not already married. In addition, you must have a form of identification. For asylum seekers, this may also be a

It is important to know that getting married or entering into a registered partnership does not automatically entitle you to a residence permit.

You can sign a cohabitation contract in the Netherlands. You can make this contract together with your partner. Or you can choose to have this done by a notary public. This is called a notarised cohabitation contract.

Requirements for a cohabitation contract:

• You must be over 18 years of age.

• You must be allowed to make your own decisions about your money and your life.

If you get married or enter into a partnership, you must meet these requirements:

• You must be over 18 years of age.

• You and/or your partner live in the Netherlands for more than 6 months.

• You may not be married to someone else. Your municipality may ask for an

  unmarried declaration
  as proof. The unmarried declaration must be legalised. If the unmarried declaration is not in Dutch, English, French or German, it must first be translated by a sworn translator.

• You may not marry certain relatives such as a brother or sister.

• If someone else makes decisions about your money and your life because you are under guardianship, you must get that person's permission. Are you under guardianship for mental health reasons? Then a judge must give permission for marriage or registered partnership.

If you want to get married in the Netherlands, you must be 18 years of age or older. You cannot get married in the Netherlands if you are already married to someone else. And in the Netherlands, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, or brothers and sisters are not allowed to marry each other. Marriages between cousins or between an uncle or aunt and a nephew or niece are permitted only if both partners provide an official statement confirming that they wish to marry of their own free will. This also applies to same-sex marriages. For example, two nephews or two nieces who wish to marry each other, or an uncle and a nephew, or an aunt and a niece.

You can have a civil marriage or partnership in the Netherlands. You can arrange this at your municipality. You need to do the following 2 things:

• At least 2 weeks before the marriage or registered partnership, you make a notification to the municipality where you live. Often this can be done online. You will need your legalised birth certificates for this. If the birth certificate is not in Dutch, English, French or German, it still needs to be translated by a

  sworn translator
  .

• You must register 2 to 4 witnesses. These are often family members or friends who will be at your wedding or registered partnership. The witnesses must be at least 18 years old.

Many municipalities allow you to have a marriage or registered partnership ceremony free of charge on some days of the week. You can check this with your municipality.

If you want, you can also hold a religious gathering. For example, in a church or mosque. This is an additional gathering and is not a substitute for having a civil marriage or registered partnership at the municipality. Are you only holding a religious gathering? Then your relationship is not official before the law.

If you marry someone who has a residence permit or someone who is a Dutch citizen, the Dutch government may suspect that you are marrying solely to obtain a residence permit. In that case, you must sign a "Verklaring van geen schijnhuwelijk" (declaration of no scam marriage)