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Ceremony in Zwolle Was Invalidated Because the Script Did Not Include the Legal Statement That Formalizes the Marriage
The Justice System in the Netherlands annulled a marriage after identifying that the ceremony did not comply with a mandatory step established by law. The decision was made on January 6 and affected an event held in April of last year, in the city of Zwolle.
The issue arose because the speeches used in the celebration were generated by ChatGPT and were more romantic and informal, but left out an essential statement for the bond to be recognized.
In practice, the couple later discovered that the marriage did not legally exist, even with the ceremony conducted, witnesses present, and a certificate issued.
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Ceremony Had Romantic Vows, But the Phrase That Makes the Marriage Valid Was Missing
The couple chose a friend to act as a temporary civil registrar, a role known in the Netherlands as eendagsbabs. The idea was to conduct the ceremony with a more personal tone.
For this, the person in charge decided to use ChatGPT to create the speeches. The result included lighter phrases but lacked a mandatory part for formalization.
During the ceremony, the man answered questions such as “Do you promise that today, tomorrow, and every day that comes, you will be by [woman’s name]’s side?”. The speech also mentioned “laughing together, growing together, and loving each other no matter what happens”.
The woman was asked about continuing to support, joke, and hug each other, even when life got difficult.
Law Requires Explicit Statement Between the Couple in Front of the Registrar and Witnesses
The Article 1:67 of the Dutch Civil Code stipulates that a marriage only legally exists when the spouses declare, in the presence of the registrar and designated witnesses, that they accept each other as husband and wife and that they will fulfill the legal duties of marriage.
This declaration is treated as a central part of the procedure. Without it, the bond is not created from a legal standpoint.
In the case analyzed, the AI-generated script did not include this mandatory statement.
Town Hall Detected the Flaw Later and Requested Removal of the Civil Registration Certificate
After the ceremony held in Zwolle, the municipality reviewed what was said and noted the absence of the required declaration.
The situation was communicated to the prosecutor’s office in the Oost Nederland district, which requested that the marriage certificate be removed from the civil registry.
As a result, the marriage was considered illegal since it was not formalized according to the law.
Couple Tried to Save the Date of April 25, But the Request Was Denied by the Court
The couple contested the annulment and requested that the Court at least recognize April 25 as the year of marriage, as it is an important date for both.
The request was denied. Even with the ceremony conducted, the absence of the mandatory declaration prevented legal recognition.
They also stated that a civil registry employee from the municipality was present to supervise the ceremony and did not make any observations at the time.
Court Declared That the Law Does Not Allow Ignoring the Missing Formality
The Court stated that it understands the significance of the date registered for the man and woman, but could not ignore what is prescribed by law.
The decision reinforced that no marriage was created between the parties, as the required declaration was not made.
The case highlights the risk of using automated scripts in formal ceremonies, especially when there are legal requirements that need to be clearly fulfilled.
The annulment occurred because the speech generated by AI did not include the declaration required by the Article 1:67 of the Dutch Civil Code. Without this statement, the ceremony in Zwolle did not produce legal effect.
Even with a romantic atmosphere and personalized vows, marriage depends on formal elements. When one of these is missing, the registration can be questioned and the bond can be invalidated.
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