Marriage arrangement and ceremonies

You and your partner must each attend the register office for the borough where you live and give a notice of your marriage or civil formation to the superintendent registrar.

If you are subject to immigration control you will not be able to give a notice of marriage unless you have:

An entry clearance granted for the purpose of marriage in the UK or
written permission of the Secretary of State to marry in the UK or
You fall within a class of persons specified by the Secretary of State

For further details telephone: 0870 606 7766.

Witnesses

On the day of the ceremony you will need to bring with you at least 2 other people to witness the marriage and sign the marriage register, or schedule. For more information ask the superintendent registrar.

Civil Weddings

A marriage or civil formation in the presence of a superintendent registrar or authorised person, cannot, by law, contain any religious aspects. It may be possible, by agreement of the registration officers attending the ceremony, for you to include non-religious music and/or poetry readings and for the wedding to be filmed.

For your wedding to take place at an approved premises you will need 2 Registration Officers in attendance on the day:

A Superintendent Registrar, who will conduct the ceremony
A Registrar who will record the marriage in the register

How old are you both?

If either of you are under 18, and will not be 18 by the date the Certificate for Marriage is due to be issued, consent will be required from the legal guardian/s. A form is available from the superintendent registrar for completion by the guardian/s.

Have either of you been married or formed a civil partnership before?

If the answer is no, you will be referred to as single.

If the answer is yes, how did that marriage end, in death or divorce or dissolution?

If the marriage ended in divorce or annulment you will need to produce the decree absolute
If it was a foreign divorce, the documents will have to be sent to the General Register Office with a request for authority to proceed with the marriage
If the previous marriage ended when your partner died you will need to produce a certified original copy of their death certificate
If you have been through a form of marriage together before - e.g. a religious ceremony without legal preliminaries, or married abroad - and that marriage has not been legally ended, you can still go through a marriage ceremony again.

Have you ever been related to one another by blood, marriage or adoption?

If the answer is yes, please consult the superintendent registrar for the borough where you live.