1. British citizens resident in Austria

British nationals who live in Austria and wish to marry must obtain a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI). In German, this is called a "Ehefähigkeitszeugnis". It is necessary as proof to the Austrian authorities you are eligible to marry under British law. Regardless whether a British citizen wishes to marry a non-British national or a British national, you must have been registered as resident in Austria ("gemeldet") with the Austrian authorities for at least 21 days.

How to apply for a Certificate of No Impediment

If you are resident in Austria, you can obtain a CNI from the Consular Section at the British Embassy in Vienna, or from one of the British consulates in Austria. Please call to arrange an appointment first. You will need to bring the following documents:

·         Your British passport

·         Your British birth certificate (or naturalisation document if you are not British born)

·         Your Austrian registration document (Meldezettel or alternatively a legitimation card issued by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign and International Affairs)

·         If you have been married before, the divorce decree (Scheidungsurkunde) of either party or a death certificate if applicable.

You will be asked to swear an affidavit that you are free to marry, which must be signed in the presence of a consular official. Your Notice of Marriage (also known as the banns) will be publicly displayed in the Consulate. If no objection is raised to your marriage within 21 days, we will issue the CNI (in German). The CNI is valid for 3 calendar months from the date on which it is issued.

A fee is charged for issuing the Notice of Marriage and the Certificate of No Impediment: please see the current list of consular fees.

Local registrar's requirements

The registrar in the district where you intend to marry will need to see the CNI and all the documents mentioned in the paragraph above in order to complete the formalities. The registrar should therefore be informed about the British Consulate's temporal regulations. For the British documents, the registrar may require a German translation, certified by a sworn court translator, and possibly also an apostille (so-called "Ueberbeglaubigung"), to prove that the document is genuine. Other documents may also be required. As this can vary, please check with the relevant local registry office first.

For details of sworn-court translators, please see our page on lawyers and interpreters. For information on how to obtain an apostille, please visit the page on How to legalise a document.