Minister Dekker improves information about recognizing marriage from registered partnership

Not all countries recognize a marriage concluded through the conversion of a registered partnership. This was announced by Minister of Legal Protection Sander Dekker in response to parliamentary questions from the Labour Party (PvdA). An appropriate solution for citizens who need to prove their marriage abroad is the issuance of an international extract of the marriage certificate. He has improved the information on the Dutch government's website.

Attje Kuiken (Labour Party) asked (pdf, 76 kB) whether it's true that not all countries recognize a marriage that was previously a registered partnership. And how can a foreign government know that this marriage was established after conversion? According to Dekker, other countries can see the conversion by the code listed on the copy or extract of the marriage certificate. He also argued that the Netherlands cannot force other states to accept the conversion.

International extract
According to Dekker, a suitable solution for citizens who need to prove their marriage abroad is the issuance of an international extract of the marriage certificate. This is an extract from the marriage certificate that states the date of the marriage without any reference to the registered partnership from which the marriage originated. This international marriage extract is generally recognized in many countries. If Dutch citizens move to or live in a country that does not recognize a marriage resulting from a converted registered partnership, they can have the registered partnership dissolved due to irretrievable breakdown and then marry. If there are no minor children, the dissolution can also be easily arranged by the partners themselves at the civil registry office. A notary can also arrange this for them.

Better information
Dekker also writes that he has clarified the information on the Dutch government's website regarding the recognition of the conversion of a registered partnership into a marriage. It has now been added that citizens can request an international extract of their marriage certificate from their municipality if they wish to prove their registered partnership converted into a marriage abroad. Dekker asks all municipalities to link to this link.