Civil wedding in Gothenburg: booking, cost, guests and rules at the Rådhuset
Updated 4 November 2026 · Written by Lysela
You book a civil wedding in Gothenburg online with the City of Gothenburg, for a time slot at the Rådhuset (city hall) on Gustaf Adolfs torg. Neither of you has to be registered as living in Gothenburg. You then apply to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for the marriage eligibility check and send the original certificates to the city at least two weeks before the ceremony. The city charges an administrative fee of 500 kronor. If you want to marry somewhere else, you contact an officiant yourselves. Here are the steps, the rules at the Rådhuset, what applies to guests and witnesses, and how to tell your guests on your wedding website.
Try it yourself, no account neededBooking a civil wedding in Gothenburg: the steps
Choose a date and time
You do this in the city's online booking. If either of you has protected personal data, contact the wedding office by email or phone instead.
Apply for the eligibility check
The application goes to Skatteverket. If you are both registered in Sweden and over 18, you apply in the e-service in the first place, otherwise on form SKV 7880. The check is valid for four months and cannot be extended. More in the guide to the eligibility check.
Send the original certificates
The eligibility certificate and the marriage certificate must reach the city at least two weeks before the ceremony. Post them to Göteborgs Stad, Stadsledningskontoret, Vigsel, 404 82 Göteborg, or send them from your digital mailbox to vigsel@stadshuset.goteborg.se.
Wait for the confirmation
Once the documents have arrived you get an email with the date and time. To cancel or move the time, contact the wedding office.
Arrive ten minutes early
Be there with your witnesses and guests at least ten minutes before the stated time. You check in with the staff and show ID.
Civil ceremony at the Rådhuset: guests, witnesses and rules
The Rådhuset is accessible. Tell the staff at the entrance if you need the lift. How a civil ceremony works in general, in any municipality, is in the guide to civil weddings in Sweden.
Guests
Up to 15 people can attend, and witnesses and any photographer count among them. Children under 13 may come in addition.
Witnesses
Two adult witnesses must be present, and they must understand the ceremony even if they do not speak Swedish. If you have none, wedding hosts are on site. An interpreter can be one of the witnesses.
Language
The ceremony comes in a short and a long version and can be held in English. If neither of you understands Swedish or English, you bring your own interpreter.
Length and photos
The ceremony takes about five minutes. Photography is allowed during it as long as it does not delay the ceremony.
The steps and pets
Confetti, petals and rice are not allowed on the Rådhuset steps when you leave. Pets cannot come inside, but guide dogs and service dogs can.
Civil wedding in Gothenburg: cost, drop-in and marrying elsewhere
Drop-in: the city's pages on weddings at the Rådhuset mention no drop-in, opening hours or available dates. If you want to know whether any times can be had without booking ahead, call 031-365 00 00 or email vigsel@stadshuset.goteborg.se. The city also rents out venues for non-religious ceremonies, as an alternative to the Rådhuset.
| Question | The Rådhuset | Private ceremony elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| How do you book? | A date and time in the city's online booking. | You contact an officiant and agree a time, then register the ceremony in the city's e-service. |
| What does it cost? | An administrative fee of 500 kronor. The invoice has 30 days to pay and does not have to be paid before the ceremony. | The same fee of 500 kronor. The officiant can ask for travel costs, which you agree in advance. |
| Who marries you? | The ceremony is held at the Rådhuset. | Civil officiants or councillors with the right to marry couples, who do this in their spare time. |
| The certificates? | The originals must reach the city at least two weeks before the ceremony. | The same deadline. Eligibility checks from the other Nordic countries are not accepted. |
Texts for guests and witnesses before the ceremony in Gothenburg
With room for 15, you have to decide who is there and how you tell everyone else. Count a photographer among the 15 if you hire one, and read more in the guide to wedding photographers. Replace what is in square brackets.
Hi [name], we are getting married at the Rådhuset in Gothenburg on [date] at [time]. Would you be one of our two witnesses? You need to be over 18 and arrive ten minutes early.
The Rådhuset takes 15 people at most for the ceremony, and only [number] of us will be there. Everyone is welcome at [place] at [time], where we celebrate together.
The ceremony is at the Rådhuset, Gustaf Adolfs torg 1 in Gothenburg, on [date] at [time]. Those attending arrive at least ten minutes early. Confetti is not allowed on the steps, so save it for [place].
After the ceremony: help your guests find the party
The ceremony takes five minutes, and afterwards there is often another place waiting: a dinner, a brunch or a party a little way off. Guests who were not at the Rådhuset need to know where and when to meet you. If many travel in, they may need a bus or a lift, and the guide to wedding transport covers how to set that up.
On the example pages you can see how a wedding website gathers the places, the programme and the RSVP in one spot.
The ceremony and the party on your wedding website
With Lysela you put the ceremony and the party under Places, each with an address, a time, a note and a link for directions. The ceremony at the Rådhuset becomes one line in the programme and the party the next. The programme has a calendar link, buses are added with times, and guests answer the RSVP on their phones, allergies included. All of it is in every tier, from Bas.
You start without an account and pay once, SEK 795, SEK 1,795 or SEK 4,900 including VAT, and the site stays up for 12 months.
What usually goes on a wedding website, and what one costs, is in the checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a civil wedding in Gothenburg cost?
The City of Gothenburg charges an administrative fee of 500 kronor, both for a ceremony at the Rådhuset and for a private ceremony elsewhere. The invoice has 30 days to pay and does not have to be paid before the ceremony. For a ceremony elsewhere, the officiant can also ask for travel costs.
How do you book a civil wedding in Gothenburg?
You choose a date and time in the city's online booking, apply to Skatteverket for the eligibility check and send the original certificates to the city at least two weeks before the ceremony. You then get a confirmation by email.
Is there a drop-in wedding in Gothenburg?
The city's pages on weddings at the Rådhuset mention no drop-in. Call 031-365 00 00 or email vigsel@stadshuset.goteborg.se if you want to ask about times without booking ahead.
Do we have to live in Gothenburg?
No. Neither of you has to be registered in Gothenburg to marry at the Rådhuset.
Read next
- What should a wedding website include? Checklist, timeline and cost
- Civil wedding in Sweden: how a civil ceremony works and what to arrange
- Civil wedding in Helsingborg: how to book at the Rådhuset
- Civil wedding in Linköping: booking, City Hall and rules
- Wedding in Gothenburg: the city, the archipelago and the venue