Notice of marriage or civil partnership
A notice of marriage or civil partnership must be given to marry or form a civil partnership in a register officer, 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.
A notice can be given to obtain a Certificate of No Impediment for marrying abroad in some countries. You can check online if a Certificate of No impediment can be issued for the country you plan to marry by visiting Getting married abroad - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Every country has different validity requirements, it is your responsibility to check the legal requirements with the country in which you are planning to have your legal ceremony in.
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.
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.
