Getting Married in Romania: Documents & Requirements for Foreigners

Getting married in Romania is simpler than most couples expect, as long as the paperwork is ready on time. Every civil ceremony, whether in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca or a small town in Transylvania, starts at the local civil registry office (the Stare Civilă at the town hall), and the procedure is the same across the country. I have photographed dozens of civil weddings in Cluj-Napoca, Târgu Mureș, Sibiu and many other places, so this guide mixes the official rules with what I see on the day.

The short version: you file a joint declaration in person, wait at least 10 days, and marry between day 11 and day 30 after filing. Foreign citizens follow the same procedure, with extra documents from their home country.

How the procedure works

The legal basis is Law 119/1996 and the Methodology approved by Government Decision 255/2024. In practice, six steps cover it:

1. Call or visit the civil registry office of the town hall and ask about opening hours, available dates and fees.
2. Collect the declaration forms at the counter (every town hall has its own model, based on the same annex of the national methodology).
3. Decide on the surname you will use after the wedding. It is written in the declaration.
4. File the complete dossier. Both partners must be present in person.
5. Book the date and time of the ceremony, depending on availability.
6. Pay the fees and keep the receipt.

The legal timeline: the wedding can take place from the 11th day after the declaration is filed, and no later than the 30th day. Both the filing day and the wedding day are counted. For a Saturday ceremony, couples usually file on the Tuesday of the previous week. If 30 days pass, the declaration starts again from zero.

Documents needed to get married in Romania

For Romanian citizens

• Birth certificates of both partners: original and a photocopy.
• Identity cards: original and a photocopy.
• Premarital medical certificates, issued on the standard form, stating that the person can marry. Your family doctor issues it, usually free of charge. The national guide gives 30 days of validity, but some town halls apply their own, shorter period (Târgu Mureș, for example, publishes 14 days), so check with yours and calculate from the wedding date.
• If either partner was married before: the final divorce decree, the divorce certificate, or the previous marriage certificate with the divorce or death annotation.
• A prenuptial agreement authenticated by a notary, only if you choose a matrimonial regime other than the legal community of property.

For foreign citizens

Foreigners follow the same filing procedure and add proof of their civil status from home. The exact list depends on your nationality and on the registry office, so confirm it by phone or email with the town hall where you plan to marry, ideally two or three months ahead. In general you can expect to need:

• A valid passport, valid both on the filing date and on the wedding date.
• A document proving you are free to marry (a certificate of legal capacity to marry or a civil status certificate, depending on the country; if your country has no embassy in Romania, a notarized affidavit supported by documents from your authorities). Your embassy or consulate can tell you which one your country issues.
• Your birth certificate and, if applicable, a final divorce decree or a death certificate for a previous spouse.
• Apostille or legalization and a translation into Romanian for foreign documents, made by an authorized translator. Romania accepts the Hague apostille. For some documents issued in another EU country, EU rules simplify or waive the apostille and the translation; the registry office will tell you which apply.
• The premarital medical certificate, as required by the registry office.
• An authorized interpreter at the ceremony, if you do not speak Romanian.

A practical tip: ask the registry office to confirm your list in writing by email, and bring one extra set of copies of everything. Marrying a Romanian citizen does not automatically give a foreigner the right to reside in Romania, which is a separate procedure handled by the immigration authorities, so plan that part separately.

Official forms

There is no single national form that every town hall uses. The Ministry of Internal Affairs publishes the model on its official portal (hub.mai.gov.ro), and each town hall issues its own version. The safest option is to pick the forms up at the counter. The three you may meet:

• Marriage declaration: filled in by both partners, in person, in front of the civil status officer. Do not sign it at home, because the signature is valid only at the desk.
• Dispensation request: for special cases, such as marrying before the 11 days, or between 16 and 18 years old with court approval.
• Request for a ceremony outside the town hall: if you want to marry in a garden, a restaurant or an event venue.

How much does a civil wedding cost in Romania?

Fees are set by each local council, so there is no single national amount. These ranges are indicative:

• Ceremony during the week, regular hours: free in most towns.
• Ceremony on Saturday: about 78–157 lei, depending on the town.
• Ceremony on Sunday or a public holiday: about 100–350 lei.
• Ceremony before the 11-day period: about 157 lei, with the mayor's approval.
• Ceremony outside the town hall (another venue): about 500–1,650 lei, which covers the officer's travel.
• Couples with no residence in the town: about 150–200 lei.

Check the exact fees on the town hall's website or by phone, because they are approved every year. The medical certificate is usually free from a family doctor; private clinics may charge for extra tests.

Getting married in another town or at a venue of your choice

Marrying in a town where you do not live needs the approval of the mayor of that town, and some town halls charge a special fee for it. Submit the request early, because the paperwork can take a few days. For a ceremony in a garden, a castle or a restaurant, you file the outside-venue request as well. Registry offices in the big cities, such as Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, Sibiu and Târgu Mureș, fill their weekend slots quickly from May to September, so book your date as soon as you have the documents.

A religious ceremony is a separate event from the civil wedding. In Romania the civil marriage comes first, and the priest will ask to see the marriage certificate before the religious ceremony.

What happens at the civil ceremony

The ceremony is short and emotional. The civil status officer reads the legal text, you say your vows, and you sign the register together with two witnesses (each with a valid ID). You receive the marriage certificate right away. The officer will usually give the couple a few minutes to exchange rings and kisses, and the guests wait outside for congratulations.

Practical tips from a photographer

• File at least two weeks before, not on the exact last day. A problem at the counter then does not move your date.
• Bring extra photocopies. They cost nothing, and a missing one means another trip.
• Check the validity of the medical certificates and of the identity cards. An expired ID can stop the whole procedure.
• Call the registry before you go, to confirm the list of documents, the fees and the opening hours. Local rules differ.
• Book your photographer early. Civil ceremony slots on Saturdays in summer go first. I offer a dedicated civil wedding photography package in Romania with a short couple session after the ceremony.

A lovely local tradition: as you leave the registry office, guests throw rice over the couple, a symbol of abundance and joy.

Sources: Ministry of Internal Affairs (hub.mai.gov.ro), Law 119/1996 and Government Decision 255/2024. Rules and fees change, so always confirm them with the registry office where you will marry. Planning a wedding in Romania? Read my guide to destination wedding photography in Romania, or write to me with your date and location.