Recently, a court in the Dutch province of Overijssel handed down a ruling in a case concerning the invalidation of a marriage. On April 19, 2025, a couple-to-be went to register their marriage in the city of Zwolle. Instead of using an official registrar, they asked an acquaintance to perform the role. This acquaintance, acting as the marriage registrar, relied on ChatGPT to draft the testimony for the marriage certificate. However, the AI-generated content failed to include the legally required declarations.

According to the Dutch Civil Code, for a marriage to be legally recognized, the couple must make specific declarations in the presence of the registrar and witnesses. These declarations involve the couple mutually accepting each other as spouses and committing to fulfill their legal obligations. Since the AI-written testimony omitted these crucial elements, the court ruled that the marriage was invalid.

The couple had hoped to maintain their originally scheduled registration date, but the court denied this request, emphasizing the importance of adhering to legal formalities in marriage proceedings.