Ordering a marriage certificate (Eheurkunde) in Essen

Marriage certificate for a wedding in Essen: it is issued by the Urkundenstelle (certificate office) of the Standesamt Essen, Hollestr. 3. It costs 10 euros, a second identical one from the same order 5 euros. The Standesamt keeps the marriage register for 80 years, older entries are at the city archive. The city gives no processing time. Our fixed price: 39 euros including the fee.

Marriage certificate Essen: costs and responsibility

Responsible office
Standesamt Essen, Urkundenstelle, Gildehof, Hollestr. 3, 45127 EssenAs of: 26.10.2026 · Stadt Essen
Official fee
10 € per marriage certificate · 5 € per further identical copy in one order · information from a civil status book 6 €As of: 26.10.2026 · Stadt Essen
Period covered
marriage register of the last 80 years at the Standesamt · older ones at the city archive, Ernst-Schmidt-Platz 1As of: 26.10.2026 · Stadt Essen
How to apply
online form · letter to the Urkundenstelle · on site by appointment on 0201 88-33458As of: 26.10.2026 · Stadt Essen
All details (3)
Processing time
not stated by the city of Essen
Power of attorney
written power of attorney from the spouses or another entitled person
Behördenfix fixed price
39 € including the official fee

Proof of marriage from Essen

Marriage certificate (Eheurkunde)
proof of the marriage, 10 €
International marriage certificate
multilingual for use abroad, 10 €
Certified copy of the marriage register
copy of the entry with later changes

Ordering through Behördenfix

  1. 1Year of marriage and namesYear of the wedding in Essen and the names of both spouses.
  2. 2Pay the fixed priceThe Urkundenstelle Essen's fee is included.
  3. 3Sign the power of attorneyPlus an ID copy; for relatives, the relationship.
  4. 4Request and checkWe order at Hollestraße and follow up if the certificate is missing.

Requesting the certificate yourself

The way without us, step by step

Without us, you request the marriage certificate directly from the Standesamt Essen. This is possible as follows:

  • Online: the city of Essen's form has its own section for the marriage register.
  • By letter to Standesamt Essen, Urkundenstelle, Hollestr. 3, 45127 Essen. The city names no specific form for this.
  • At the counter in the Gildehof by appointment, booked on 0201 88-33458, Monday to Friday between 8 and 10. Bring a valid ID card or passport.
  • How you pay depends on the route; the city gives no details.
  • If exact details on the date or place of the wedding are missing, a search fee of 17 to 66 euros may be added.
  • Costs: yourself you pay 10 euros per certificate and 5 euros for each identical copy. With us it is 39 euros including the fee, with power of attorney and follow-up with the office.

Open the official page

Entitlement and details

  • Names of both spouses, date and place of the wedding in Essen.
  • Your ID copy and whether you are a spouse, child or parent.
More documents (4)
  • Certificates from the marriage register go to the spouses themselves, but not to divorced spouses, and to children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as parents and grandparents.
  • Others need a written power of attorney or proof of a legal interest. The city only mentions siblings for the birth and death registers.
  • If 30 years have passed since the death of the last surviving spouse, a legitimate interest is enough under the Civil Status Act. Certificates from the civil partnership register come from the same Urkundenstelle, also for 10 euros.
  • For our order: your written power of attorney for Behördenfix.

What is special in Essen

80 years at the Standesamt, then the city archive

The Standesamt Essen keeps the marriage register for 80 years. For older marriages, write to the Haus der Essener Geschichte, Stadtarchiv, Ernst-Schmidt-Platz 1, 45128 Essen, hdeg@essen.de. The limit differs from births (110 years) and deaths (30 years).

More about Essen (3)

The fee matches Köln (Cologne); Düsseldorf charges 15 euros. If you need one certificate for a registry office and one for an authority abroad, order both together: 15 euros in total.

For marriages concluded abroad and registered later in Essen on application, the Standesamt Essen also issues certificates. There are also certified copies of the family book, which is continued as the marriage entry.

Careful when searching: Bad Essen in Lower Saxony has its own Standesamt. For weddings in Essen on the Ruhr, Hollestraße 3 is responsible.

Questions about the marriage certificate from Essen

How do I get a marriage certificate from the Standesamt Essen by post?

Write to Standesamt Essen, Urkundenstelle, Hollestr. 3, 45127 Essen, or use the city's online form. Give the spouses' names, the date of the wedding and your entitlement. The certificate then comes by post. How you pay depends on the route chosen.

How much does a marriage certificate cost in the city of Essen?

10 euros for the first marriage certificate. Each further identical one requested at the same time in one order costs 5 euros. The international marriage certificate also costs 10 euros. If details are unclear, a search fee of 17 to 66 euros may apply. With us a marriage certificate costs 39 euros including the fee.

What is in the marriage certificate, and what in the register copy?

The marriage certificate confirms the marriage. According to the city of Essen, the certified copy of the marriage register is a copy of the entry with all later records, certified by the registrar. Later changes therefore only appear in the copy. The office asking for proof tells you which form you need.

Who may order my parents' marriage certificate?

Children are entitled, as are grandchildren and great-grandchildren, so you order without your parents' power of attorney. If the wedding was more than 80 years ago, the city archive in the Haus der Essener Geschichte at Ernst-Schmidt-Platz 1 is responsible instead of the Standesamt.

How do I reach the Standesamt Essen?

The Urkundenstelle is on 0201 88-33458, Monday to Friday from 8 to 10, and by email at urkundenstelle@einwohneramt.essen.de. The address is Gildehof, Hollestr. 3, 45127 Essen. On-site appointments only by phone; bring your ID card or passport.

Official sources

Reviewed by M. Gabal on 26.10.2026

Provided by Behördenfix (M. Gabal). Behördenfix orders from the Standesamt with your power of attorney and follows up. We do not give legal advice and do not assess your individual case.

All services in Essen (7)
Have your marriage certificate ordered· 39 €