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Applying for a right to officiate weddings

  • Permit or other obligation
  • Nationwide
  • Public service

A registered religious community can apply for a member of their community a right to officiate weddings.

The member must be

  • of age
  • familiar with the prerequisites of officiating weddings and the procedure of the marriage ceremony
  • familiar with the officiator’s obligations and responsibilities.

Do the following

Send a free-form application to vihkiminen@dvv.fi. Use secure email if your message contains personal or confidential information. You can also mail the application to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's Oulu service location.

Attach to the application

  • the officiator's consent to acting as an officiator
  • an account of familiarity with the tasks of an officiator, either written by the officiator themselves or by the religious community.
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To whom and on what terms

A written consent to acting as an officiator is needed from the person for whom the right is applied for. Also needed is an account of familiarity with the tasks of an officiator, either written by the officiator themselves or by the religious community.

A precondition to granting the right to officiate weddings is that the person’s eligibility has not been restricted.

The service is provided by

Digital and Population Data Services Agency

Responsible for the service

Digital and Population Data Services Agency
Text edited by: Digital and Population Data Services Agency
Updated: 21/8/2026