Giving notice

Giving notice of a marriage or civil partnership

To find out what you need to do, read the giving notice page on the Gov.uk website.

To give notice you must have chosen a venue, and have an idea about the date and time for your ceremony.

You must give notice at least 29 days before your ceremony.

Where to give notice

If you have one of the following:    

• British or Irish citizenship
• Settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• An application to the EU Settlement Scheme that you made before 30 June 2021, which you’re waiting for a decision on
• Your settled or pre-settled status - you’ll need to bring a ‘share code’ which you can get from the ‘view and prove your immigration status’ service, which will be valid for 30 days

You will each need to give notice at the register office in the district where you live.

If one or both of you is from outside the UK, and do not have any of the above, then you must give notice together at a register office in the district where at least one of you lives.

The address of our Register Office is: Wokingham Register Office, Civic Offices, Shute End, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1BN.

Visit this page to make an appointment online or to make an appointment by phone, call: 0118 974 6000 (option 3, option 3).

Appointments last 30 to 45 minutes.

Cost

Giving notice at the Register Office costs £35 per person. 

If a Home Office immigration referral is necessary, the fee is £47.

An additional charge may apply if you have a previous divorce that was granted in a country outside the United Kingdom.

What to bring to your notice appointment

Things you must bring

You must bring the following documents with you at your notice appointment. If you fail to bring the correct documents to your notice appointment, you might need to re-book and pay again.

You must bring:

• Evidence of your nationality, name and date of birth - this can be your current passport (preferred) or, if you were born before 1983, a British birth certificate
  If you were born on or after 1 January 1983 and do not have a current valid passport, your full birth certificate must be produced, together with the full birth certificate of your mother, or father where your parents are or have been married to each other. A full birth certificate shows your parents' details as well as your own.
  Note - certified copies of any birth certificate can be obtained from the Register Office covering the district where the birth occurred. You can find a register office on the Gov.uk website. Photocopies will not be accepted.
• For each person living in the borough - proof of residency
  This can be either a full driving licence or a bank statement, no more than 1 month old at date of appointment, or a utility bill which must be no more than 3 months old at date of appointment, or a Council Tax bill for the current year.
• Proof of end of previous marriage(s) or civil partnerships - if applicable A decree absolute - This must be an original document from the court. A foreign divorce document will require an English translation.

  A civil partnership dissolution document – again this must be an original document from the court.

  A certified death certificate for your former spouse/partner.  If the applicant is not the informant on the death certificate, the original marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate is also required.

Nationals with EU Settled Status (EUSS)

People who have been granted settled or pre-settled EU Settlement Status or have a pending application for EU settlement submitted before 30 June 2021.

• Current Valid Passport
• Your 9-character Alpha-numeric share code to prove your EUSS

If possible, the share code should be generated prior to the appointment on gov.uk and you will need details of the identity document you used when you applied for EUSS. This code is valid for 30 days.

Foreign Nationals

Foreign nationals are defined as people who are not British Citizens, Irish Citizens and who have not been granted EU Settled Status (EUSS) or have a pending application for EUSS submitted before 30 June 2021. If you or your partner are a foreign national, you must give notice together in the registration district which one or both of you live.   

If you are a foreign national, in addition to proof of full name, age, nationality and address, you will also be required to prove evidence of your settled status in England and Wales. If you are unable to provide this, you will be referred to the home office and the waiting period for your marriage may be extended to 70 Days. You will also be required to provide a passport-style photograph for you and one for your partner. 

Acceptable documents are listed below:

• Current valid passport or
• Valid Home Office Travel Document

Proof of Settled Status

• Indefinite Leave to Remain/Enter or
• Marriage Visa
• Note: If you do not have or cannot provide evidence of settled status in England and Wales then contact us.

Things you must know

Both partners must attend a marriage or civil partnership notice appointment. You'll need to know your partner’s date of birth, address and occupation.

How to find us

Our Register Office is at our main council office in Wokingham. Our address is: Wokingham Register Office,
Civic Offices,
Shute End,
Wokingham,
RG40 1BN.

We are located at the far end of the old building, at the side of the council offices. Please enter through the red door.

Parking

Nearest parking is at the Carnival Multi-Storey Car Park – RG40 2AF. Please allow at least 10 minutes to walk from there to the Register Office.

If you need to change your appointment date

If you need to change the date of your appointment, or cancel, please call: 0118 974 6000 (option 3, option 3).

After you have given notice

• Your notice will stay on the board for 28 days after the day of your appointment and will be issued on day 29
• This period may be extended to 70 days by the Home Office
• The schedule is a legal document that permits the wedding or civil partnership to go ahead and is valid for 12 months from the date notice is given
• If you are marrying or forming a civil partnership in another registration district the schedule is created by that district prior to the ceremony
• If you change the venue of the ceremony a fresh notice will have to be given and a further fee paid - however a change of date/time does not affect the notice as long as the notice is still valid