A Dutch court has annulled a couple's marriage after the civil registrar used ChatGPT to draft a "lighter" wedding speech that omitted legally required declarations.

On January 9, 2026, the Overijssel District Court invalidated the wedding ceremony that took place on April 19, 2025, in Zwolle. According to Dutch broadcaster NOS, the couple had appointed a friend as a temporary registrar, known in the Netherlands as an „eendagsbabs” (one-day registrar).

In an effort to achieve a relaxed and informal tone, the registrar employed artificial intelligence, specifically the ChatGPT chatbot, to write the ceremony speech. However, according to the relevant article of the Dutch Civil Code, a marriage is only legally valid if the prospective spouses declare in the presence of the registrar and witnesses that they accept each other as partners and will faithfully fulfill all obligations associated with the marital status.

A Dutch court has invalidated a couple’s marriage because their vows were generated by ChatGPT and did not meet official requirements.

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The AI-generated text, however, failed to include this mandatory declaration. Instead, it posed more romantic and informal questions, such as asking the groom if he would stand by his bride „today, tomorrow, and in the days to come,” and inquired of the bride whether she would choose him „again today.”

“Do you promise to stand by [the woman’s name] today, tomorrow, and in the days to come?” the groom was asked during the wedding, with the addition: “So that you may laugh together, grow together, and love each other, whatever life may bring?” The bride was also asked if she would choose her fiancé again, with the question: “So that you may continue to support each other, tease each other, and stand by each other, even when life gets tough?”

Following this, the one-day registrar declared that the couple were “not just husband and wife, but above all, a team, a crazy couple, each other’s love and home!”

The omission of the required elements only came to light after the municipality reviewed the procedure post-ceremony and notified the Oost-Nederland District Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutor subsequently requested the court to order the removal of the marriage certificate from the civil registry, arguing that a valid marriage had not been established. This request was supported by the Zwolle registrar, who stated there was no legal basis to act otherwise.

The couple contested the action, maintaining that their wedding had been conducted properly, asserting that the municipality’s official registrar was present to oversee the event, as stipulated for eendagsbabs arrangements, and did not intervene at the time. They further emphasized the emotional significance of their chosen date and requested the court to recognize April 19, 2025, as the date of their wedding, at least from an administrative perspective.

The court did not grant an exception. “The court understands that the date of the marriage recorded in the marriage certificate is important to the man and the woman,” the ruling stated, “but it cannot overlook the provisions of the law.” As a result, the court determined that no marriage had been established between the parties. The marriage certificate was deemed incorrectly recorded in the civil registry, and the municipality was ordered to delete it.