I am getting married – what do I need to do?
2 tasks in suggested order
1. Before getting married
Before marriage, the official requirements of the competent civil registry office and the marriage-capacity procedure must be followed.
Registration for the civil wedding should take place about 6 months before the desired date because the determination of capacity to marry is valid for no more than 6 months. There is no statutory minimum period before the wedding.
Any civil-status authority in Austria: registry office (Standesamt) or registry-office association; in statutory cities the registry office of the Magistrat, and in Vienna the registry offices of MA 63.
Civil-status and identity documents appropriate to the personal situation; the Standesamt will specify the documents actually required.
If you are a foreign national or present foreign documents, the registry office may require additional evidence, translations and, depending on the document, an apostille or legalisation.
Official source: oesterreich.gv.at
2. Decide on the married name
You can choose a common family name, choose a double surname, or both keep your previous family names. A double surname may consist of no more than two parts and is written with a hyphen.
The choice of married name can already be declared to the registry office when registering the marriage.
Registry office (Standesamt) or competent civil-status authority.
Before making the declaration, decide which legally available option you want to choose; for foreign nationals, the naming law of the home country generally applies.
A name determination made in Austria is not automatically recognised in the home country of a foreign national. If your name changes, a new passport may be required before an imminent trip abroad.
Official source: oesterreich.gv.at
