Witnesses to a marriage: what are the rules?
Verified 10 October 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
As future spouses, you choose together the witnesses of your marriage.
You must choose Minimum of 2 witnesses and up to 4.
Your witnesses are witnesses to your marriage, not one of you. 2.
Your witnesses must be at least 18 years of age (or be emancipated).
No other conditions are required.
They may or may not be members of your family.
No distinction is made between the sexes.
You're declaring your witnesses at pre-marriage formalities.
For each of them, you must provide the following information:
- Name
- First Names
- Date and place of birth
- Occupation
- Home
FYI
You can change your witnesses until the official celebration.
If one of your witnesses fails you or you don't have one, the registrar can find one (for example, a mayoral officer).
- Civil Code: Articles 34 to 54Witnesses aged 18, parents or others, irrespective of sex (art. 37)
- Civil Code: Articles 63 to 76Identification of witnesses (Articles 63 and 74(1) to 76)
- General Instruction on Civil Status of 11 May 1999 (annex)Witnesses (paragraphs 92, 362-1 and 362-1)
- Ministerial Reply No. 97545 concerning witnesses to a marriagePresence of witnesses