Minimum age of marriage in England and Wales

Minimum age of marriage raised to 18

As of the 27^th of February 2023, the minimum legal age to marry in England and Wales is 18. Marriages involving anyone under 18 are now void, even with parental consent.

Such marriages will be considered void and any adult who facilitates a marriage where either party is under 18 will be committing a criminal offence and could face up to 7 years in prison. This also applies to cultural and religious marriages which aren’t recognised as legal marriages.

This marks a relatively recent change in the law, introduced by the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022. Previously, a person could get married at 16 or 17 years old, provided that they had parental consent. The validity of a marriage under the previous law is not affected by this change.

If your marriage was forced, or you are concerned that either yourself or another person is at risk of forced marriage please contact the police and the Forced Marriage Unit. If you are in immediate danger, please call the police on 999. For legal advice, contact Vardags today for a free initial consultation with one of our expert divorce and family law solicitors.

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where in the uk does this law apply?

This law applies to England and Wales only. In Scotland, the minimum age a person can get legally married is at 16. In Northern Ireland, the minimum age a person can legally marry is also 16, but parental consent is required (unlike in Scotland).

Marriages held in other jurisdictions are typically recognised in England and Wales, provided that the marriage satisfied the validity requirements of the jurisdiction where it was done.  However, the marriage of a child under 18 will not be recognised even if it takes place outside of England and Wales, if the child usually lives in England and Wales.

The minimum age was raised due to concerns that the previous law provided insufficient protection for victims of forced marriage. This is because the marriage of a 16- or 17-year-old with parental consent was only illegal if it was deemed a forced marriage, with coercion, such as the use or threat of force, being a required element of the offence. Now, any marriage where either party is under 18 will automatically be deemed a forced marriage.

Further resources

• Forced marriage resource pack - GOV.UK
• Raising marriage age in England and Wales is ’huge leap forward’ in tackling ’hidden abuse’ | UK News | Sky News
• Legal age of marriage increases from 16 to 18 in England and Wales - Girls Not Brides
• Forced marriage: a survivors guidebook