Getting married in Voorschoten

Getting married.

General Information

You are getting married or entering into a registered partnership! An exciting time with all the preparations. There are a number of matters you need to arrange with the municipality. You can read more information here about these matters, the wedding locations in Voorschoten, and our wedding officials. The same preparations apply to both a marriage and a partnership registration.

Notification Intended marriage (registration of intent to marry)

Before you get married or enter into a registered partnership, you must file a notice of intended marriage. This used to be called the “undertrouw.” You must do this at least 14 days and no more than 1 year before your wedding. Health Make sure you have your witnesses’ information ready when you file the notice. You must have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 witnesses. They must be at least 18 years old and have valid identification. You can file a notice of intended marriage online with the municipality of Voorschoten. Both partners need a DigiD to do this. You will then select the wedding date, the location, and the name of the officiant.  This selection is not yet final. After you submit your application, the municipality will review your choices and then contact you.

When are you unable to submit a digital notification?

In some situations, you must first contact the municipality by calling 14 071 or via email at trouwen@voorschoten.nl. Additional documents may need to be submitted before the marriage or registered partnership can take place. Please contact us if any of the following situations apply to you:

  • You were born abroad.
  • You do not hold Dutch nationality.
  • You have lived abroad or are currently living abroad.
  • Your previous marriage was dissolved abroad.

Notification announce an engagement

Convert registered partnership into marriage

Do you have a registered partnership and wish to marry your registered partner? You can have your registered partnership converted into a marriage. You and your partner will need DigiD for this. You choose your date, location, and wedding officiant. You do not need to submit a notification. The conversion takes place without witnesses.

Convert registered partnership into marriage

The wedding officiant

You will be married by a (special) civil status registrar. If you choose a free or simple ceremony, the Municipality of Voorschoten will determine which registrar marries you. If you choose an extensive ceremony, you can indicate your preferred wedding officiant when submitting the notification of intended marriage.

Once the Municipality of Voorschoten has confirmed that the wedding officiant will conduct the ceremony, the registrar will contact you to schedule an appointment to prepare for the extensive ceremony. During this meeting, you can discuss your wishes and ideas for your wedding day.

Click here to view the wedding officiants of the Municipality of Voorschoten.

One-time wedding officiant

Would you like to be married by someone you know? That’s also possible in the municipality of Voorschoten. For a one-day special civil registrar (BABS), we charge the following fee Requirements:

  • the desired acquaintance holds a valid appointment as a wedding officiant and has been sworn in by the court, or;
  • the desired acquaintance has completed training as a wedding officiant and has been/is being sworn in by the court;
  • we must receive your request no later than 3 months before the wedding date or the date of the registered partnership.

There is a fee associated with being appointed as a one-day wedding officiant. If you’d like to avoid the fee, or if your chosen friend or relative does not meet the requirements set forth at Requirements, you can also have your friend or relative deliver only the speech. In that case, a wedding officiant from the municipality of Voorschoten will handle the official part of the ceremony: the exchange of vows and the signing of the marriage certificate.

Do you have any questions about a one-time civil registrar (BABS)? Please contact us using the contact form below.

Wedding officiant contact form 

Wedding locations in Voorschoten

Voorschoten offers several beautiful locations for your wedding ceremony. Click here to view all wedding locations in Voorschoten.

You are personally responsible for making the reservation with the manager of the location. Please note that the owner of the location may also charge additional fees. You then indicate your chosen wedding location in the notification of intended marriage.

Getting married at home or at another location in Voorschoten

In Voorschoten, it is also possible to get married at a location of your choice. You can marry at your own home or at another location within our municipality. A request for this must be submitted at least 3 months prior to the marriage. You can indicate this in your notification of intended marriage.

Do you still have questions about our wedding locations? Please contact us using the contact form below.

Wedding locations contact form

Witnesses

A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 witnesses must be present at a wedding. If you do not have your own witnesses, the municipality can arrange them for you. Are you opting for a free ceremony? Please note that only the bridal couple and 2 witnesses may be present. Further down this page, you will find the options for the various ceremonies.

Fees 2026

The following fees apply for a wedding ceremony in the Council Chamber of the “ town hall ”:
Monday through Thursday€ 561,60
Friday€ 747,40
Saturday through Sunday€ 1046,15
Simple ceremony (Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 AM or 10:30 AM)€ 305,30
The municipal fees for a wedding ceremony at a location other than the town hall are as follows:
Monday through Friday€ 481,25
Saturday through Sunday€ 530,15
This excludes the costs of the wedding location.
Marriage/partnership booklet€ 35,05
If you do not bring your own witness, but make use of a witness provided by the municipality€ 35,05
One-time civil wedding officiant (BABS)€ 96,25
Declarations of marriage authorisation€ 31,10
Municipal extracts, deeds€ 17,80

Cancellation fees for a free ceremony

  • Do you reschedule or cancel between 3 months and 2 weeks before the wedding date or partnership registration? Then the municipality will charge € 55.
  • Do you reschedule or cancel within 2 weeks of the wedding date or partnership registration? Then the municipality will charge € 85.
  • Do you fail to show up or arrive so late that the ceremony cannot take place? Then the municipality will charge € 110.

Fees for changing or cancelling an extensive or simple wedding ceremony or partnership registration 

If you cancel the wedding solemnisation or partnership registration, you are entitled to a refund of part of the fees. The refund amounts to:

  • Do you reschedule or cancel between 3 months and 2 weeks before the wedding date or registration date? Then you will pay 50% of the fees.
  • Do you reschedule or cancel within 2 weeks of the wedding date or registration date? Then you will pay 100% of the fees.
  • Do you fail to show up or arrive so late during the wedding solemnisation or partnership registration that the ceremony cannot proceed? Then no refund of the fees will be issued.

Ceremony

Free marriage

You can get married free of charge on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. in the consultation room. This option is available only if at least one of you is registered as a resident ( enrolled ) with the municipality of Voorschoten. Would you like a marriage certificate or a civil partnership registration certificate? In that case, you will have to pay the associated fees. During the free ceremony, the registrar will welcome you and then proceed immediately to the ceremony itself—that is, the exchange of vows and the signing of the certificate. Only the bride and groom and the two witnesses are present at this ceremony.

Simple ceremony

Effective March 1, 2026, simple ceremonies will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays (at 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.) in the “De Zilverfabriek” meeting room at the Voorschoten “ town hall .” You will be married by a marriage officiant, and a maximum of 10 people may attend the ceremony. This includes the bride and groom, witnesses, and the photographer. The marriage officiant will welcome you and then proceed immediately to the ceremony itself—that is, the exchange of vows and the signing of the marriage certificate. You will not have a preparatory meeting with the marriage officiant, and there will be no speech during a simple ceremony. It is also not possible to play music or invite a guest speaker.

Neither you nor your partner needs to live in Voorschoten to make use of the simple marriage ceremony.

Extended ceremony

An extended marriage ceremony offers more room for personal touches. The price depends on the chosen location, the day, and the time of the ceremony. Prior to the wedding, there is always a preparatory meeting with the civil registrar. During this meeting, your wishes and the flow of the ceremony are discussed.

You can get married in the Council Chamber of the “ town hall ” or at a location of your choice within Voorschoten. You may have music played during the ceremony. You are also permitted to invite guest speakers.

Would you like to play music during the ceremony in the Council Chamber? If so, you can test it together with the usher well before the ceremony date. You can provide the desired music in 2 ways:

  • Via a USB stick.
  • Via Bluetooth with a Spotify playlist.

On the form you receive from us, you can indicate which 3 songs you would like to be played. Would you like to view the Council Chamber and test the music? Then you can send an email to facilitair@voorschoten.nl.

For a wedding in the Council Chamber, a maximum of 40 people applies. This includes the bride and groom, witnesses, and photographer. For other locations, the maximum number of attendees is determined in consultation with the location manager.

You or your partner do not need to live in Voorschoten to make use of the extensive wedding ceremony.

Conversion of registered partnership into marriage

You can convert your registered partnership into a marriage. To do this, you will sign the conversion deed. No witnesses are required and you do not need to give each other wedding vows. The conversion can take place free of charge at the counter, or you can choose a simple or extensive ceremony.

Surname use

When you get married or register your partnership, you can inform the municipality which surname you would like to use. You do this at the municipality where you live. This may therefore be a different municipality than where you got married. Click here for more information about surname use.

Options

The emphasis in surname use is on using: your own (legal) surname does not change. Dutch name law does not provide for this. As a Dutch citizen married in the Netherlands, you therefore always keep your own surname. This is also evident, for example, from the marriage certificate and the wedding booklet. These show the surname before the marriage and the surname after the marriage. For Dutch citizens, this is always the same.

Both of you can choose from the following options:

  • Own surname;
  • Partner's surname;
  • Partner's surname, followed by own surname;
  • Own surname, followed by partner's surname.

You can request a change to your surname use in the following ways:

  • You make an appointment online and visit in person;
  • You can also request the change of surname use online. You will need DigiD for this.

Marriage or partnership in community of property or marriage-/partnership Requirements

For more information, visit the website of the " rijksoverheid" at .

Whenever bride and groom, marriage, marrying, and wedding day are mentioned, this also respectively refers to registered partners, registered partnership, registering a partnership, and partnership day.  

Other Requirements

  • It is not permitted to scatter items such as confetti or rice in or around the “ town hall .”
  • Animals are not allowed during the ceremony, with the exception of service animals.
  • In connection with the environment, the municipality advises against releasing balloons.

Contact

Do you have any questions or would you like more information about getting married in Voorschoten? Please feel free to contact us via the contact form or send an email to trouwen@voorschoten.nl.

You can also send a letter to the following mailing address: postbus 393, 2250 AJ, Voorschoten.