Marriages
The Governor of Svalbard performs civil marriage ceremonies. A marriage ceremony should be booked well in advance.
The original certificate of no impediment to marriage must be received by The Governor of Svalbard no later than two weeks before the marriage ceremony. The certificate of no impediment to marriage cannot be older than four months at the time of the marriage ceremony. Take contact with the national registry authority in good time to receive the necessary paperwork.
An overview is on the Norwegian Tax Administration’s website. See link to the right.
The national registry authority then issues a certificate of no impediment to marriage, which is valid for four months. The original certificate of no impediment to marriage must be received by The Governor of Svalbard at least 14 days before the marriage ceremony. The processing times at the national registry offices may vary. Therefore, please contact them well in advance.
How much does it cost?
A civil marriage by The Governor of Svalbard is free.
Where and when can we get married?
The Governor of Svalbard performs marriage ceremonies on weekdays from Monday to Friday, primarily during office hours (8.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m.).
Send an email to firmapost@sysselmannen.no to arrange a date and time.
Foreign language
If the bride or groom is a non-native speaker, they must agree in advance on which language to use during the ceremony. The marriage ceremony can be performed in Norwegian or English. For other languages, the couple must arrange a qualified interpreter themselves.
What happens at the ceremony?
The bride and groom, wedding party and guests should arrive 5–10 minutes prior to the scheduled time for the marriage ceremony. There must be two witnesses present during the ceremony. If the couple does not have their own witnesses, The Governor of Svalbard will arrange witnesses. Please let us know about this in advance. The bride and groom must both bring a valid photo ID.
The ceremony lasts 5–10 minutes. The marriage ceremony itself involves the person authorised to perform the ceremony reading a set text for civil marriages. If the bride and groom want to exchange rings or have special requests with respect to the ceremony, you must provide details about this in advance, preferably when you schedule the marriage ceremony. The bride and groom, witnesses and person authorised to perform the marriage ceremony sign the certificate of no impediment to marriage, which is recorded in the marriage register. Finally, the marriage certificate will be sent to you by the national registry authority.