Couples that got married in Ghana, Sierra Leone or Liberia can apply for the registration of their marriage in the German marriage registry and receive a German marriage certificate, if the wife or the husband has German citizenship. Due to the number of cases at the central registrar’s office, processing time can take up to two years.

If you would like to adopt your partners family name, you can give a name declaration at the Embassy (see “name declarations” below)

For information about the necessary documents and to make an appointment, please write an email to the legal and consular section. Please note that the Embassy cannot legalize foreign marriage certificates. Instead, the registry office in Germany may request a document verification at an additional cost.

Please download the following information leaflet (only available in German)