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Couples intending to marry or form a civil partnership must personally give notice to the superintendent registrar, unless you are having a Church of England wedding.

You should make an appointment at the register office in the district you have lived for the last seven days immediately before giving notice. If you and your partner live in the same district, it is helpful if you both attend.

Either a superintendent registrar and registrar or an approved person needs to be present at the marriage. Therefore, it is important that you make sure that the registrar is available for your wedding before you confirm any other arrangements.

Do we need to take anything with us when meeting the registrar?

When giving notice of your marriage, you must provide evidence of your name, age, marital status and nationality. A current full passport is the preferred document, but if you do not have one you must provide two documents such as:

Do we need to take anything with us when meeting the registrar?

• Birth certificate (issued at or near the time of the registration of your birth).
• Full driving licence.
• Medical card.
• Utility bill, council tax document or bank statement.

What if I have been married before?

If either of you has been married or in a civil partnership before (in the UK or abroad), you will need to provide evidence that you are free to marry.

• If you were divorced in England or Wales we need to see a court stamped copy of the decree absolute.
• If you were divorced abroad we need to see an English translation of the original documents issued by that country. If no documents were issued, we will tell you what we count as acceptable proof of divorce.
• If you are widowed, we need to see a certified copy of the death certificate.
• If you have already married each other abroad, you will only need to marry here if you don’t think the marriage is legal.
• If you are under eighteen, we need to see proof that your parents agree to the marriage. If your parents are divorced, we may need to see the custodial court order. The superintendent registrar will advise you on the day.

Costs

• The fee for each notice is £30, payable to the superintendent registrar at the time of giving the notice of marriage.
• Fees for your marriage ceremony will vary depending on the venue and day of the week

What happens after we give notice of marriage?

After 15 clear days of giving notice of marriage, the superintendent registrar will issue a ‘marriage authority’. You must then give this to the superintendent registrar of the district where your marriage will be taking place. The marriage authority is valid for 12 months from the date you gave notice.

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