PURPOSE: To open and close elevator-car and landing doors within a minimum space by disposing a coupling means for opening and closing both the car and landing doors essentially simultaneously outside the area delimited by the car and landing doorways.

CONSTITUTION: A door coupling apparatus 4, which includes a door coupler 8 and a mating pin 9, is located outside the area delimited by an elevator-car doorway 26 and a landing doorway 27. Doorsills 14 and 15 within the doorways 26 and 27 are laid in an extremely close relationship spaced at an interval, for example, of six millimeters. Only within the area outside the doorway area or within the area that elevator users can not see, a large clearance is made between the ends of both the doorsills 14 and 15, wherein the door coupling apparatus 4 is installed. With the doors closed, the door coupling apparatus 4 is located outside the doorway area, whereas with the doors opened, it is placed within the space between both the doors since its travel during the opening of the doors is shorter than that of the doors.