Copenhagen Municipality must refund up to 23 million Danish kroner (€3.08 million) to around 12,000 couples, mostly foreign nationals without permanent residence in Denmark, after unlawfully charging them wedding fees. A legal review concluded that the fees, collected over several years, were in breach of national legislation.
Fees charged in violation of Danish law
The disputed fees, up to 4,500 kroner (€600) per couple, were applied for weddings at Copenhagen City Hall and at outdoor locations designated by the municipality. According to Danish law, municipalities may only charge fees if the couple specifically requests a venue outside City Hall that involves additional expenses. In these cases, most couples did not make such a request, making the charges unlawful.
The practice affected primarily international couples travelling to the Danish capital to marry, often drawn by the city’s streamlined administrative process and symbolic venues.
Political reactions and calls for legal change
Niels Peder Ravn of the Conservative Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti), a member of the City’s Culture and Leisure Committee (Kultur- og Fritidsudvalget), called the situation “a scandal” and criticised that local taxpayers would now bear the cost. He warned that the ruling could lead to fewer wedding slots being available.
Ravn and Louise Theilade Thomsen of the Liberal Party (Venstre) have both expressed support for amending the law to allow municipalities to legally charge fees for all weddings involving foreign couples. Thomsen stressed that the municipality’s priority should be ensuring Copenhagen residents can marry without long waits.
Economic impact on wedding tourism
The potential reduction in ceremonies for international couples has raised concerns in the tourism sector. Lars Ramme Nielsen, industry director at the Danish Chamber of Commerce (Dansk Erhverv), argued that wedding tourism generates far greater revenue for the city than the administrative costs. He pointed to spending on flowers, photography, hotels, dining, clothing and shopping as significant benefits for local businesses, estimating annual revenues in the tens of millions of kroner.
The issue will be discussed by the City’s Culture and Leisure Committee on Thursday. Culture and Leisure Mayor Mia Nyegaard (Radikale Venstre) described the situation as “regrettable” and acknowledged the financial challenge posed by the change in practice. The national Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing (Social- og Boligministeriet) has yet to comment on possible legislative amendments.
