Officially, marriage is just a piece of paper. So it stands to reason that in order to get a new, official piece of paper, German bureaucrats will want to see a host of older official papers. In addition to recent, certified birth certificate copies, you’ll also need to present your passports and residency permits, your Meldebescheinigung and the birth certificates for any joint children. If you’ve been divorced or widowed, bring along proof. If it’s your first marriage, you’ll need documentation from your home country that you’ve never been married before – translated, naturally. This proof can sometimes be provided by your embassy and is known as an Ehefähigkeitszeugnis. However, not all embassies will provide one. If not, some will have you take an oath that you’ve never been married before, which then has to be approved by the Berlin superior court, known as the Kammergericht. The Standesamt will help you with this process, which actually just requires you to present the documentation to the court at Elssholzstrasse 30 in Schöneberg and then wait a week or two for a signature from a judge (more information on the court is available in German at www.kammergericht.de). Finally, you’ll have to provide proof of income in the form of a payslip or several months of bank account statements showing positive balances. Want to have that doctorate or other academic title included on your marriage certificate? Bring translated proof that you earned it. Once the Standesamt is satisfied with all of your paperwork, it will make an appointment with you for the actual ceremony.