Giving notice of marriage

Getting married? What you need to know about giving notice

Parties are legally required to attend their local register office to inform the Registrar of their intention to get married or enter into a civil partnership in what is called ‘Giving Notice’.

Notice must be given at least 29 days prior to the wedding being held. In certain circumstances, this may be extended to up to 71 days due to either party’s immigration status.

Once you have given notice, you must have your wedding ceremony within 12 months.

If you are considering or going through a divorce and are concerned about the legal validity of your marriage, contact Vardags today for a free initial consultation with one of our expert divorce solicitors.

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How to give notice

To give notice, you will usually have to make an appointment at your local register office. You must have lived in the registration district for at least the past 7 days. If you and your partner live in different registration districts, you must give notice separately.

If either you or your partner are from outside of the UK, you must give notice together at a register office in the registration district where at least one of you lives, unless you both 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 made before the 30^th of June 2021, which you are waiting to hear a decision on

A notice of marriage is only valid for the named venue on the notice; therefore, notice should be given once the date and location of the ceremony is confirmed. Whilst it is possible to amend the date of the marriage, a new notice would be required to change the location.

If you are having a Church of England or Church in Wales wedding, you generally do not have to give notice of the marriage. However, if you or your partner are from outside of the UK, you should check with your vicar.  

What documents do you need to bring to give notice?

In order to give notice of your marriage or civil partnership, you and your partner are both legally required to provide certain documentation as evidence of your identity, nationality, and residence.

The following original documents are required:

• The details of the venue for the ceremony
• Your valid, passport
• Proof of address

• You must have lived at your address for at least 7 days prior to the appointment
• Each party will need their own original proof of address – a joint statement may only be used for one person
• You may bring either a council tax statement dated within the last 12 months, a utility bill dated within the last 3 months, an individual bank statement dated within the last month, an individual mortgage statement dated within the last year, a current tenancy agreement, a letter from your landlord dated within the last 7 days confirming you live there, or a valid driving licence.
• If you normally live outside of the UK, you will need to provide details of a UK contact address, such as a friend or family members’ address.

• Proof of any name changes e.g. a copy of a deed poll

If you have been married or in a civil partnership previously, you will also need to bring one of the following documents:

• A decree absolute or final order
• Your former partner’s death certificate
• Proof of your divorce, annulment or dissolution if it was granted outside of the UK, Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man. This includes religious and cultural marriages abroad.

• The original documents will be required, as well as an English translation if required.
• You will have to pay a fee of between £55-£83, depending on whether the local register office or the General Register Office needs to check your documents. The fee must be paid at the time that you give notice.

If you or your partner are from outside of the UK, you will also need to bring:

• A passport sized photo of each of you (even if only one of you are from outside of the UK)
• Proof of your current immigration status
• Translations of any documents that are not in English

If you are from the EU, EEA or have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you will also need to bring confirmation of either:

• Your settled or pre-settled status

• You must bring a ‘share code’ which you can get from the UK government website here. Once you get the code, it will be valid for 30 days.

• Your certificate of application to the EU Settlement Scheme made on or before the 30^th of June 2021, which you are waiting to hear a decision on