Getting married in Belgium
Wedding witnesses in Belgium: how many, who and which papers
Witnesses are not required at a civil wedding in Belgium. You may choose up to four, for the two of you together, and each witness must be at least eighteen. That is in the Old Civil Code . Your town hall decides the rest: when it wants the witnesses' details, and whether that means a copy of their identity card or their national register number. Below is what the law says, what a few towns ask for themselves, and how to choose.
Elian Van Cutsem, founder of Ringske
The short answer
Witnesses are a choice, not a condition. When you file the declaration, the registrar tells you that you can call on at most four witnesses, chosen by you and at least eighteen years old. That is article 164/2, paragraph 8, of the Old Civil Code . The article has read this way since 31 March 2019.
The law is just as clear about the ceremony. Article 165/1 says the registrar marries you "possibly in the presence of the witnesses". So you can marry without any. belgium.be says the same: a couple can name none, one, two, three or at most four witnesses.
If you do choose witnesses, they go into the marriage certificate. The certificate lists their surname, first names, date of birth and place of birth (article 54 of the code, and likewise on vlaanderen.be ). That is why the town asks for their details in advance.
How many witnesses can you have?
The law says at most four, for the couple together. It does not split them between the partners. Some authorities and towns still put it as two per partner. vlaanderen.be says "at most 2 per partner". The City of Mechelen does too, and says on the same page that you can have none or at most four. The information sheet from Ganshoren says at most two witnesses per partner may attend.
The City of Ghent puts it differently: none, 1, 2, 3 or 4 adult witnesses per couple. The City of Brussels says you can choose at most four witnesses in total. If you want three from one side and one from the other, ask your own town before you settle it.
Witnesses sometimes count towards a limited number of places. At the free weddings in Turnhout , on the first Tuesday of each month, at most six guests may attend, witnesses and photographer included. In Ganshoren the wedding room has forty seats for the couple, the witnesses and the guests together. So look at the room before you ask four people.
Who can be a witness?
The law sets two conditions: you choose the witnesses yourselves, and they are at least eighteen. Article 164/2 says nothing about nationality, residence or how they are related to you. A friend, a brother, a mother or a colleague can all be witnesses.
Family is allowed, not required. belgium.be says a witness does not have to be a blood relative. The City of Mechelen says a witness must be an adult but does not have to be family.
A witness from abroad is possible too. The City of Brussels says witnesses do not have to live in Belgium, but must be adults with valid ID. Etterbeek and Saint-Gilles ask for the witnesses' national register number, or a copy of their passport if they come from abroad.
An interpreter is not a witness. In The City of Mechelen the wedding is held in Dutch. If one of you speaks no or too little Dutch, you bring a sworn interpreter yourselves, at your own cost. That rule is about the two of you, not about the witnesses. Etterbeek puts it the same way: the sworn interpreter's details are needed if one of the future spouses does not speak the language of the ceremony.
Can a minor be a witness?
No. The law requires witnesses of at least eighteen. A sixteen-year-old sister or a twelve-year-old godchild cannot be an official witness.
That does not mean they have to sit it out. The City of Mechelen offers a children's certificate for shared children or stepchildren who want to be part of the ceremony. The children sign it during the ceremony. You send their names at least a month ahead. It is separate from the marriage certificate, which only lists witnesses aged eighteen or over. Ask your town whether it has something similar.
If not, a younger brother, sister or godchild can take another role: carrying the rings, reading a text, sitting at the front. Agree it with the registrar beforehand.
Which documents does the town ask from a witness?
The law sets what goes into the certificate about the witnesses: surname, first names, date and place of birth. How and when the town collects that is up to the town. A few examples, from the towns themselves:
The City of Ghent : bring your witnesses' national register number or a copy of their ID to the appointment for the declaration. If you have not chosen yet, you get an email to add them later.
The City of Mechelen : the witnesses' identity details, a copy of their identity card, must reach the civil registry at least a month before the wedding.
Aalst : a witness form, with the declaration or at the latest fourteen days before the wedding, at the desk or by email. Bruges : you enter the witnesses in the online marriage file, at most four.
Vorst (Forest) : a copy of the witnesses' identity card, at the latest two weeks before the wedding. Ganshoren : a copy of the identity card, at least two weeks before the ceremony. Koekelberg : a copy of both sides of the witnesses' identity cards with the marriage file.
Saint-Gilles : the witnesses' national register number, plus a copy of their identity card or passport if they come from abroad, at the latest ten days before the wedding. Etterbeek : the national register number, or a copy of the passport for witnesses from abroad, a week before the wedding.
So deadlines range from "with the declaration" to a week before. Do not assume another town's rule applies to yours. The overview per city links to each city's own page.
Ask the witnesses to check their name exactly as it appears on their ID. Under article 34 of the Old Civil Code , an error in or missing details of a witness in the marriage certificate count as a clerical error, which can be corrected. Better to avoid it upfront.
What does a witness do on the day?
Legally, very little, and that is the point. Under article 165/1 of the Old Civil Code , the registrar reads out the chapter on the rights and duties of spouses. Then each of you declares that you want to be the other's spouse. The registrar declares you married in the name of the law and immediately draws up the certificate in the digital civil status database.
The witnesses are there. belgium.be says they are there to attend the ceremony and to co-sign the marriage certificate. vlaanderen.be says the registrar draws up the certificate straight away and signs it digitally. How the signing works in your wedding room, the registrar will explain.
Bring the witnesses' ID. Etterbeek and Saint-Gilles ask for the ID of the future spouses and of the witnesses on the day of the ceremony.
If a witness drops out at the last minute, the wedding still goes ahead: the law does not make the ceremony depend on witnesses. Do tell the civil registry right away, because their details are already in the file.
If you marry on a weekday, witnesses may need time off. The City of Mechelen issues a certificate for short leave ("kort verlet") for the employer of friends or family attending the ceremony, at 5 euros per person. The city warns that not every employer grants short leave for a wedding, so let the witness check first.
Witnesses at a church wedding
A church wedding always comes after the civil one, says vlaanderen.be . The rules for witnesses differ too. The guide Trouwen voor de Kerk from the Interdiocesan Service for Family Pastoral Care says: besides the officiant, who is the official witness of the vows on behalf of the church community, there are two witnesses you choose yourselves. They can be family or friends.
At the end of the service you sign the marriage register, together with the two witnesses and the officiant. That applies to a Catholic wedding. If you marry in another church or faith, ask there.
These are two separate lists. Give the town hall witnesses to the town, and the church witnesses to the parish. Anyone on both lists, you pass on twice.
A different kind of witness: the act of notoriety
The word witness turns up in one more place in the marriage rules. If one of you cannot obtain a birth certificate, it can in some cases be replaced by an act of notoriety before the justice of the peace (article 164/3 of the Old Civil Code ). In it, two witnesses of at least eighteen declare, among other things, the surname, first names and place of birth of the future spouse, and sign the act with the justice of the peace (article 164/4). The family court must then still approve it (article 164/5).
That is separate from the witnesses on the wedding day. If one of you has foreign documents, read the guide for couples where one of you is not Belgian.
Choosing witnesses: what to look at
Legally a witness is someone who attends and is named in the certificate. Everything else people expect, holding the rings, a speech, helping run the day, is custom. So say it out loud. Do not only ask "will you be our witness", but also what you hope that person will do.
Choose people who will certainly be there. A witness who travels a lot or works shifts may drop out at the last minute. If you marry on a weekday, ask whether they can take time off before you fix the date.
Check that their identity card or passport is still valid on the wedding day. An expiring card is a conversation you would rather have a month earlier.
Do not ask the photographer or the master of ceremonies to be a witness if they are working that day. A witness sits at the front and is in the photos; the photographer stands behind the camera.
Four is a maximum, not a target. One witness, or none, is just as much a wedding. If you are torn between people, another moment can make the difference: one witness at the town hall, another at church, someone who reads a text at the party.
Ask early, and in person. Some towns want the details with the declaration, which you file at the earliest six months before the wedding. It helps if the witnesses have known for a while.
When to arrange it
Think about witnesses when you fix the date, and pass them on with the declaration of marriage or before your town's deadline. What to bring to the declaration is in the declaration checklist. What comes when, month by month, is in the 2027 timeline.
The Ringske wedding checklist has "Choose witnesses" as a standard task, and just before the day "Have the rings ready and brief the witnesses". Under The day you can invite the witnesses, also from Run of the day. They get their own login with read access to the run of the day, the seating plan and the vendors, without the guest list or the budget.