Notice of marriage or civil partnership
A notice of marriage or civil partnership is the required, legal preliminaries which must be given to marry or form a civil partnership in a register office, licensed civil ceremony venue, or non-conformist church (Roman Catholics, Baptists, Jehovah’s Witnesses etc).
A notice of marriage or civil partnership cannot be given for a Church of England/Wales. The vicar must read Banns – please contact the church directly to arrange this.
Documents you will need
You must provide certain documents when you give notice of marriage. You need an appointment at the register office to give notice.
Every person giving notice must produce evidence of:
- Name and surname
- Date of birth (must be over 18)
- Nationality
- Home address
- Condition (whether you are single, divorced or widowed)
Both you and your partner must provide:
- A valid passport, OR;
- Your birth certificate. If you were born on or after 1 January 1983, we also need your mother’s birth certificate. Or your father’s birth certificate, if your parents were married when you were born.
- A certificate of registration as a British citizen granted by the Secretary of State
- A certificate of naturalisation as a British citizen granted by the Secretary of State
- If you are an EEA national, a six digit code to share your EU Settlement Status
- If you are not a British or EEA national with settled, pre-settled or pending status you will also be required to provide evidence of Right of Abode, Indefinite Leave to Remain or Indefinite Leave to Enter, Diplomatic or Military exemption, or a relevant visa or entry clearance for the purpose of enabling marriage in the United Kingdom e.g a fiancé/e or marriage visitor
You must also bring one of these documents to confirm your address:
- A gas, water or electricity bill dated within the last three months
- A bank or building society statement dated within the last month
- A Council Tax bill from the last 12 months
- A mortgage statement from the last 12 months
- A current residential tenancy agreement
- A valid United Kingdom driving licence. This must be in the name of the person giving notice of marriage. The licence can be full or provisional and issued by the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands.
If you are divorced or widowed
If you or your partner has been married or in a civil partnership before, you must provide to the Registrar at your Notice of Marriage/Civil Partnership Appointment:
- a decree absolute of divorce, granted by a court in England or Wales
- documents confirming dissolution of civil partnership, granted by a court in England or Wales
- documents confirming divorce, dissolution, or annulment from a foreign country. If these are not in English, you must also provide a full, certified translation. There is a statutory consideration fee to the Superintendent Registrar of £55 for consideration of a foreign divorce. Please be aware that there are some countries for which the local Superintendent Registrar may have to refer your foreign divorce to the General Register Office for approval, for which there is a statutory consideration fee payable of £83. Please note, these fee's will be payable at the point of booking the appointment
- the death certificate of the former spouse or civil partner
- if you have changed your name you may need to produce documents to link the current name you are using to the name shown on your decree absolute or former spouse or civil partner’s death certificate. This will usually be your previous marriage or civil partnership certificate or a deed poll certificate.
Persons subject to Immigration Control
If one or both of you are subject to immigration control, you will need to attend the register office in the district where at least one of you lives to give your notice of marriage. If one or both of you are subject to immigration control and do not have the appropriate immigration status or visa for marriage or civil partnership, notice can still be given with a mandatory referral being made to Home Office to determine whether the marriage or civil partnership can proceed.
