Denmark, Copenhagen City, Civil Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Collection
Danmark, København, Borgerlige vielser

Record Description
The collection consists of marriage licenses and records for the city of Copenhagen for the years 1851 to 1961.

These records are an excellent source for validating the date and place of a marriage. If a marriage record for a couple cannot be found in the church registers, the civil marriage registers are an excellent source to check.

Record Content
Civil marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Marriage date
 * Ages, and sometimes the birth dates of the bride and groom
 * Residence of bride and groom
 * Occupation of the bride and groom
 * Names of witnesses
 * Names of parents

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Name of your ancestor
 * Identifying information such as their age, marriage date or residence

Search the Collection
To search the collection: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Archive" ⇒Select the appropriate "Series and Title" ⇒Select the appropriate "Volume and Year" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Language Help
These records are in Danish. For help reading the records see the wiki articles:


 * Danish Word List
 * Denmark Language and Languages

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example, use the place, address or residence to locate church records.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There may be indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities.

General Information About These Records
Civil marriages were first allowed in Denmark in 1851. The marriage was recorded with the district sheriff in rural areas and with the magistrate in cities. The marriage was recorded in special notarial registers. These registers vary in content and arrangement by area. Some include a considerable number of supporting documents, such as baptismal certificates, while others record only the names and residences of the bridal couple. In 1923 the registration process was changed by legislation enacted in 1922. This made the mayor the registering officer in the cities and the parish sherrif the registrar in rural areas. The registration form was also standardized into a columnar format. Regions of Denmark that belonged to Germany had a separate system of registration.

Civil registration of marriage legitimized marriage for members of the population who were not adherents of the state church.

Related Websites

 * Danish Genealogy Records
 * Denmark Genealogy Links

Related Wiki Articles

 * Denmark
 * Denmark Civil Registration
 * Denmark Birth, Marriage, and Death Search Strategies 1467 - Present

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually. Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation