Get married or form a civil partnership

Eligibility to get married or form a civil partnership in England or Wales

You must be 18 or over.
You must not already be married or in a civil partnership.
You must not be closely related to each other.
The marriage act allows two people of the same sex to marry - giving them the same rights as an opposite sex couple. Same sex couples can also convert a civil partnership into a marriage.
All couples can choose a marriage or civil partnership and deciding which is a personal decision. If you are unsure of the financial implications of your choice you should seek legal advice. For more information visit the GOV.UK website.

Plan your ceremony

You will need to decide where to have your ceremony before you give notice.

Civil marriage ceremony: This is a non-religious ceremony performed by our experienced Registrars. It can take place in City Hall or at any local licensed venue approved by Sunderland City Council.

Church ceremony (Non-Church of England): This is a religious ceremony. You need to contact your chosen church to agree the date and time of the ceremony. You will need to give notice of marriage at a Register Office in the district where you live, in the same way you would for a civil ceremony.

Church of England ceremony: 'Banns' will be called in the church. This is instead of giving notice of marriage. Please contact your church to plan for your ceremony.

Civil partnership formation: This can be completed with or without a ceremony. It can be held in the statutory Register Office, or in any of the other ceremony rooms at City Hall. It can also be at any local licensed venue approved by Sunderland City Council.

Getting 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. More information is available on this page.

Give notice of marriage or a civil partnership

When you give notice, you sign a legal statement at your local Register office. This confirms you are both lawfully free to marry or form a civil partnership. Your notice must be no less than 29 days before the ceremony, and it can't be more than 12 months before. For more information, please visit the Give notice of marriage or civil partnership page.

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

All foreign nationals are required to give notice of marriage in the same way as that of a British citizen. You must attend the Register office to give notice together. This must be in the district where one of you lives. For more information, please visit the Give notice of marriage or civil partnership page.

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. For more information, please visit the Give notice of marriage or civil partnership page.

Book a ceremony

Once you have decided on your venue and you have a date in mind, we recommend you book early to ensure a Registrar is available on your chosen date.

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

Enquire about a ceremony here

If you need to change your booking, please contact Life, family and learning.

Fees

All ceremonies excluding those in the statutory Register Office, will require you to pay a non-refundable deposit. Any subsequent changes to bookings will incur an additional administration fee.

See details of all marriage and civil partnership fees here.