Give notice of marriage or civil partnership

Give notice of marriage or a civil partnership

Giving notice is a legal procedure to declare your freedom to marry or enter a civil partnership. It requires the following;

Your formal notice of marriage must be in person. It must be in the area where you live, regardless of where your marriage or civil partnership is taking place.
You should both attend together unless there are special circumstances.
You are legally required to have lived in the district for at least 9 days before giving notice. If you and your partner live in different registration districts, you will need to give notice in the districts where you live.
You must give notice at more than 29 days before the ceremony. It is advisable to give notice at least 4 months before your ceremony date.
Your ceremony must take place within 12 months of the date you give notice.
There is a statutory fee per person to give notice. This needs to be paid when you book your appointment. See details of all marriage and civil partnership fees.
Church of England weddings do not usually ask you to give notice of marriage. You should check what procedures you need to take with the church.
If you are intending to get married abroad, you may need a Certificate of No Impediment (CONI). More information is available on this page under 'Get married abroad' section.

Your nationality

You are not subject to immigration control if you and your partner are British or Irish Citizens, or have European Union settled status.

EU citizens with settled status must show a valid share code. If you or your partner are from any other country, you will need to bring documentation about your immigration status.

If you or your partner are not a British or Irish national

You must attend the Register office to give notice together. This must be in the district where one of you lives.

The notice of marriage may be subject to immigration control, and you are required to book a double appointment slot. You will also need to bring;

A valid passport, national ID card, valid biometric immigration document or valid travel document.
Proof of your current immigration status (for example, your visa and/or biometric card.)
If you have EU settled or pre-settled status, you must get a 'EUSS share code' before the appointment.
Certified translation of any documents that are not in English.
Passport photos of you and your partner.

If you or your partner do not live in England or Wales, a residency requirement of at least 9 days must be met before you can give notice.

Please carefully check the documents required before booking your notice appointment.

Documents you need to provide

You must bring original copies of the following documents to your appointment. You will need to confirm the venue, date and time of your ceremony at the notice appointment.

Proof of name, date of birth and nationality;

Valid UK or Irish passport (or UK birth certificate if you were born before 1 January 1983).
- If you do not have a valid passport and were born on or after 1 January 1983, you need to bring your full UK birth certificate showing your parent's names.
- You will also need to bring your mother's UK birth certificate. (If your mother has changed her name since birth, you will need to bring her marriage certificate, current passport or deed poll.)
You need to bring proof of any name changes (for example, a copy of a deed poll or your marriage certificate from a previous marriage).

Proof of your home address

Valid UK or Irish driving licence.
Gas, water or electricity bill, printed and dated within three months.
Bank or building society statement printed and dated within one month.
Council Tax bill printed and dated within a year.
Mortgage statement printed and dated within 1 year.
Current, printed, residential tenancy agreement.

Proof of freedom to marry

If you are divorced:
- If your divorce was made absolute before April 2015 you must bring an original Decree Absolute to your notice appointment which includes an official stamp (not a photocopy). A Decree Nisi is not acceptable.
- If your divorce was made absolute after April 2015 you may have received your Decree Absolute via email. In this case we can accept a digital print out of your Decree Absolute but again, this must not be a photocopy.
- If the court issued your divorce after the 06 April 2022, and you received a digital copy of your Final Order (previously a Decree Absolute) we can view this on your digital device. A Conditional Order is not acceptable.
- If your divorce was outside the UK and is not written in English, a translation of the divorce document is needed. The divorce papers and translation documents should be original, printed and verified documents. There will be a fee to process the documents relating to a divorce granted overseas. See details of all marriage and civil partnership fees here.
If you are widowed, a certified death certificate is needed.
If you have been in a previous civil partnership, you will need to bring the original copy of the dissolution certificate.

Get married abroad

To check what is legally needed for the country you wish to get married in, visit the GOV.UK website. You may need to produce a Certificate of No Impediment (CONI) for your marriage to go ahead.

If you do need a CONI and you are both British citizens, you both need to book a notice of marriage appointment in the district where you live.

If you are getting married overseas and only one of you is a British citizen, only the British citizen may need to give notice.

Please be aware the 'Certificate of No Impediment' issued may:

Be valid for only a limited period abroad.
Need to be translated into the language of the country of the marriage.
Need legalising by the Embassy of the country concerned here or by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Need to be exchanged in the foreign country at the British Consulate for a consular certificate.

It is your responsibility to confirm the exact nature of the paperwork required by the country in which you wish to marry. Visit GOV.UK website for information about the documents you might need to arrange a marriage or civil partnership ceremony abroad.

Book an appointment

We recommend you give notice at least 4 months before your ceremony date.

Please be sure to read our ceremony booking terms and conditions for rescheduling and cancellations.

Check availability and book your appointment here

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please contact Life, family and learning

Fees

There is a statutory fee per person to give notice. This needs to be paid when you book your appointment.

See details of all marriage and civil partnership fees here.