A court in the Netherlands has ruled a marriage invalid after determining that legally required declarations were omitted from a wedding ceremony speech prepared with the help of artificial intelligence.
In a decision published Jan. 6, the Zwolle District Court said the marriage ceremony, held April 19, 2025, in the eastern city of Zwolle, failed to meet the formal requirements set out in Dutch law.
According to the ruling, the civil registrar who officiated the wedding had been appointed for a single day and was personally acquainted with the couple. At the couple’s request, the registrar used artificial intelligence to draft a more “intimate” and personalized speech for the ceremony.
The court found that during the ceremony, mandatory legal statements were not made. Dutch law requires couples to explicitly declare, in the presence of a civil registrar and witnesses, that they accept each other as spouses and commit to fulfilling all legal obligations associated with marriage.
The ruling noted that an official civil registrar from the Municipality of Zwolle was present at the ceremony, as required, but did not intervene or correct the proceedings.
The couple challenged the annulment in a petition filed with the court on Aug. 20, arguing that the error was not their responsibility and that they believed the marriage had been conducted properly. They asked the court to recognize the marriage as valid.
However, the municipal registrar involved in the case supported the public prosecutor’s request to declare the marriage invalid.
“The court acknowledges the importance of the marriage date recorded in the civil registry for the couple,” the decision said, “but it cannot deviate from the provisions laid down in the law.”
Under Article 1:67 of the Dutch Civil Code, the required declarations are a fundamental condition for a valid marriage. Because those statements were not made, the court concluded that the marriage could not be legally recognized.
