Marriage requirements

Marriage may be concluded by persons over the age of 18 who have full legal capacity. By way of exception, marriage may be concluded by a person over the age of 16 subject to a permission from a court. 

Bride and groom can choose any place in Croatia as the wedding location. 

Notice of the intention to enter into a civil marriage must be given to the registrar competent for the wedding location. 

The registrar sets the wedding date in agreement with bride and groom. 

Legal requirements for marriage:

• that bride and groom are of the opposite sex,
• that bride and groom have expressed their consent to marry,
• that a civil ceremony is performed by a registrar, i.e. that a religious ceremony is performed by a minister of a religious community which has regulated legal relations on that matter with the Republic of Croatia.

Marriage is concluded in the presence of bride and groom, registrar and two witnesses. 

Any person of age and full legal capacity may be a witness to the wedding ceremony. 

Marriage cannot be concluded by:

• a person under the age of 18, 
• a person deprived of legal capacity or incapable of sound judgement,
• persons who are blood relatives in:
  • a direct line (ancestors and descendants) infinitely,
  • a collateral line, specifically: brother and sister, half-brother and half-sister (2nd degree relatives), a person with the sister, half-sister, brother or half-brother of their parent (3rd degree relatives), children of brothers and sisters or of half-brothers and half-sisters (fourth degree relatives),
• a person who is already married.