A marriage can take place in England and Wales at a register office, at a building approved for civil marriage, in an Anglican church or in any other religious building that is registered for the solemnisation of marriage.


Religious ceremonies - In an Anglican Church

If you wish to be married in the Church of England or Church in Wales – and generally you will be able to do so only if you or the other party live in the parish - you should first speak to the vicar. If he agrees to marry you he will arrange for the Banns to be called on three Sundays before the day of your ceremony or for a common licence to be issued. There is usually no need to involve the local superintendent registrar.

For more information, see www.cofe.anglican.org

A religious ceremony other than in the Church of England or Church in Wales

If you wish to marry by religious ceremony other than in the Church of England or Church in Wales, you should first arrange to see the person in charge of marriages at the building. However, the church or religious building in question must normally

be in the registration district in which you or the other party live. It will also be necessary for both of you to give formal notice of your marriage to the superintendent registrar of the district(s) where you live. A registrar may also need to be booked from the register office in the district where the marriage is to take place in order to register the marriage.

Please note that for a religious marriage, other than in the Church of England, civil preliminaries must be completed. Please follow the guidance given under Civil Marriage on how and where to give notice, the residential qualifications and the documentation required.

What do we do if we want to get married abroad?

If you have any general enquiries about marrying abroad, you should contact the Embassy or High Commission of the country concerned. It is possible you will be asked to obtain a certificate of no impediment. This is a document required by some

foreign authorities to enable a non-national to marry in their country and, under certain circumstances, can be provided by your local register office. If you are asked to provide one, you should contact your local register office. To find details of your local register office, visit the appropriate county council (or London or Metropolitan borough) website. Please put the town or postcode into the search box on the right hand side of this page to return a link to the website you need.

Alternatively, addresses and phone numbers for local register offices can be found in the local area phone book. If you have been asked to provide an Apostille – which is simply formal confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp appearing on a document is genuine – please contact the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on 020 7008 1111 for full details including fees, or see www.fco.gov.uk.

A civil marriage – overview

It is a legal requirement to give notice of marriage and, once given, your notices of marriage are displayed on the notice board at the register office for a period of fifteen days. A legal document covered by the Perjury Act 1911, a notice of marriage states the names of the people to be married, age, marital status, address, occupation, nationality and the intended venue for the marriage.

After giving notice you must then wait a further sixteen days before the marriage can take place - for example, if notice is given on 1 July, the ceremony can take place on or after 17 July. Once given, your notice is valid for 12 months.

From 1 February 2005 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 expressly for the purpose of marriage in the UK;

Entry clearance is the granting of permission to enter the UK by an Entry Clearance Officer in the British Embassy/High Commission in the person's country. It will usually be shown as a visa in the person's passport or travel document.

Or you have the written permission of the Secretary of State to marry in the UK - this will take the form of a certificate of approval which can be obtained from the Immigration and Nationality Department;

This will usually only be issued where the person has been granted leave to enter or remain for over six months from the date on which they entered the UK and that leave is still in force. The certificate of approval will have to be surrendered to the superintendent registrar when notice is given.

Or you fall within a class of persons specified by the Secretary of State.

This will be someone with settled status in the UK.

Further information about obtaining a certificate of approval and the class of persons who will be exempt from these provisions will be available shortly.

British citizens, EEA and foreign nationals who have been given the right of abode in the UK or who are members of visiting forces from NATO and Commonwealth countries or who are diplomats are not subject to immigration control and can continue to give notice in their district of residence.

Registration officers have a statutory duty to report any marriage they suspect has been arranged for the sole purpose of evading statutory immigration controls.

Please note: the minimum legal age for getting married in England and Wales is 16 years of age but written consent may be required for anyone under 18.

A civil marriage - Where to give notice

You both need to go to your local register office to give notice of your intention to marry. If you plan to marry in a different area, you should also contact the register office for the district in which the marriage is due to take place. This is because you will need to ensure that a superintendant registrar (to conduct the service) and a registrar of marriages (to record the details in the marriage register and issue your certificate) will be free to attend your chosen venue on the day.

You both must give notice of marriage in person to the superintendent registrar - no one else can do it on your behalf.

As a result of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, Etc) Act 2004, from 1 February 2005, if you or the person you wish to marry are subject to immigration control, you will only be able to give your notices of marriage at a specially designated register office which you must attend together. There are 76 designated register offices in England and Wales.

How much does it cost to get married?

Cost of giving notice in advance of a ceremony either at a register office, or Approved Premises or in a religious building other than in the Church of England or Church in Wales: £30.00 per person

Cost of a ceremony on Approved Premises - The cost for attendance by the superintendent registrar and registrar is set by the local authority in question. A further charge is likely to be made by the owners of the building for the use of the premises.

Cost of religious ceremony in the Church of England or Church in Wales – please check fees with the vicar of the church in which you are planning to marry.

Cost of religious ceremony at a building other than Church of England or Church in Wales - Unless the building has an Authorised Person, there will be a £40.00 fee for the Registrar and there may be further fees charged by the trustees of the building and the person who performs the ceremony.

You can order further copies of your marriage certificate any time in the future, either via a register office, in person, by post, by fax or online. – for full details, see Obtaining certificates

A civil marriage - Residency requirements

You can get married in England and Wales as long as you have both lived in a registration district for at least seven days immediately before giving notice of marriage.

This applies to all couples, including those travelling from overseas to marry in England and Wales - except where one person gives notice under the Marriage of British Subjects (Facilities) Acts 1915 and 1916. These acts allow British or Commonwealth citizens resident in one of the countries signed up to the acts (see below for a list) to give their notice of marriage where they are living, provided the other person is resident here.

As long as one person is resident in England and Wales, then the other person may also give notice of marriage in Scotland.

Provided the person they intend to marry is resident in England and Wales, officers, seamen or marines on board one of Her Majesty's ships at sea can give notice to the captain or other officer commanding the ship, List of countries signed up to the British Subjects Facilities Acts, 1915 and 1916:

Pacific Protectorate (which means any Island, group of Islands or place under the jurisdiction of HM High Commissioner for the Western Pacific)

A civil marriage - Giving notice in Wales

When you give notice in Wales, you may do it in either English, or in English and Welsh. If notice is to be given bilingually, both the person giving notice and the registrar you see must be able to understand the Welsh language. All local authorities in Wales have at least one Welsh speaking registrar or deputy.

Please note: the minimum legal age for getting married in England and Wales is 16 years of age but written consent may be required for anyone under 18.

A civil marriage - Documentation required

You will need to show the superintendent registrar documentary evidence of your name, age and nationality – ideally in the form of your passport.

If you have been married before, you will also need to produce documents that confirm that you are now free to marry. These could include either a divorce decree absolute bearing the court's original stamp or the death certificate of your former husband or wife.

And if you are subject to immigration control you will also need to produce documentary evidence to the superintendent registrar to confirm that you satisfy the new eligibility requirements introduced in February 2005.

Where you can marry

A civil marriage ceremony can take place in any register office in England or Wales, or at any venue that has been approved to hold a civil marriage.

Such Approved Premises include stately homes and other prestigious buildings, hotels and restaurants. Click here to search for a location that has been approved by the local authorities to date or to find out how to purchase a hard copy in booklet form.

The ceremony - Adding personal touches

Although you cannot incorporate any religious content into a civil marriage ceremony, you may be able to arrange to have individual touches such as non-religious music and/or readings, and for the wedding to be videoed. The superintendent registrar at the register office for the district in which you intend to marry will be able to tell you more about the options available.

Please note: on the day of the wedding you will need to bring with you at least two other people who are prepared to witness the marriage and sign the marriage register.

The Ceremony in Welsh

The law states that you can marry in Welsh in any place in which the Welsh language is commonly used. Where the ceremony is to be in Welsh only, both yourselves and your witnesses and the person conducting the marriage should be able to understand what is being said. You don't have to have given notice in Welsh.

How do we find our local register office?

To find details of your local or other register office, visit the appropriate county council (or London or Metropolitan borough) website. Please put the town or postcode into the search box on the right hand side of this page to return a link to the website you need. Alternatively, addresses and phone numbers for local register offices can be found in the local area phone book.

Search for marriage venue

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/marriages/theceremony/mvsearch.asp

How do I get a copy of a marriage certificate?

You will receive your marriage certificate straight after the ceremony. If at any stage you require another copy, you can Apply Online or via a register office, in person, by post or fax. For full details, see Obtaining certificates.

The registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales started in 1837 and legal adoptions have been registered since 1927.

Each local register office holds records of every birth and death which has taken place within their district and every marriage which has taken place at the Register Office or at any premise, within the district, which is approved for civil marriage.

The Register Office can provide copies of entries, in the form of a certificate, on request. Records of marriages which take place in churches or other religious buildings are usually held at the church or other religious building in which the marriage has taken place. Alternatively, because we hold a central index at the GRO in Southport, you can also obtain copies of these entries from us.

We now offer the facility to order certificates (http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificate/index.asp)online, this can be used to place orders using the GRO index reference and for certificates dating from 1900 up to 18 months before the present date where the exact details are known. See Ways to apply for a range of other options.

If the event for which you require a certificate has taken place in the last 18 months, you should contact the register office at which the details were recorded, or, in the case of a marriage, the register office, church or other religious building at which the details were recorded, as our central records may not have been updated. To find details of your local or other register office, visit the appropriate county council (or London or Metropolitan borough) website. Please put the town or postcode into the search box on the right hand side of this page to return a link to the website you need. Alternatively, addresses and phone numbers for local register offices can be found in the local area phone book.

Obtaining marriage certificates - Ways to apply for certificates

Online

If you need to find out more about the event you are interested in before you place your order, you can go and look through the indexes at the Family Records Centre in London and place an application for the certificate(s) you require once you have found the entry or entries in question. Please note: the indexes to the Adopted Children Register are only available at the Family Records Centre in London.

We accept phone orders using Visa, Mastercard, Solo, Delta or Switch. Please call +44 (0)845 603 7788 and have as much relevant information to hand regarding your enquiry as possible as the more we have to go on, the easier it will be for us to deal with your request.

Our lines are open to receive calls as follows:

Monday to Friday 8am – 8pm, Saturday 9am – 4pm

Please also have your credit or debit card ready.

By post

Click on the appropriate link to download an application form in pdf format for birth, marriage, death or adoption which you will then need to complete and post to us at the address below.

When completing your form, please give us as much information as possible as the more we have to go on, the easier it will be for us to deal with your request.

Please enclose the appropriate fee in the form of a cheque or postal order made out to ONS. Payments from abroad should be by an international money order, cheque or draft (payable in London ) made out to ONS and expressed in pounds sterling, quoting a UK clearing bank. Please do not send cash by post.

For certificates relating to events registered in England and Wales , please send your application form to:

GRO PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD.

For certificates connected with overseas events please download the appropriate application form from How to order overseas certificates and send it to:

Overseas Section GRO Trafalgar Road Southport Merseyside PR8 2HH

By fax

Complete application form and fax it to us on: +44 (0)1704 550013.

For certificates connected with overseas events please fill in and fax the appropriate application form.

When completing your form, please give us as much information as possible as the more we have to go on, the easier it will be for us to deal with your request. Please don't forget to include your credit or debit card number and the three-digit security code on the rear of your card.

Obtaining marriage certificates - When will my certificate(s) be despatched?

Standard service with GRO reference supplied:

Applications received for certificates quoting a GRO index reference will be processed and posted out within 5 days (excluding weekends and bank holidays) of receipt. In cases where an incorrect GRO reference has been supplied, an administration fee of £4.50 will be charged.

Standard service without GRO reference supplied:

Applications received for certificates without a GRO reference will be processed and posted out within 15 days of receipt (excluding weekends and bank holidays). This applies to applications which quote a specific date as well as to those which do not.

Our standard service includes a 3 year search - ie: the year you specify plus one year either side. If you are unsure of the date of the event, then further blocks of 3 years can be searched for an additional fee of £3 per block.

In cases of popular names that are likely to occur frequently in the indexes, we will need more specific information from you to help us deal with your query. Our policy is to check the first six entries which agree with the name you request. For example, if we identify and check six entries within the first quarter and do not find an entry that agrees with the details supplied, the full three year search will not be completed. Should none of the six entries agree, we charge the search fee of £4.50 and advise you accordingly.

How will my certificate(s) be delivered?

Your certificate(s) will be despatched by first class post. For customers overseas, airmail postage is included in the fees quoted. By law, information supplied by the General Register Office can only be given in the form of a certificate - which is why we are unable to e-mail or fax the details to you.

What if I need a certificate quickly?

If you need your certificate fast, you can ask for our priority service or mark postal and fax applications as 'urgent' and we will post your certificate(s) to you the next working day after we receive your order. For details of priority service surcharges, see Certificate fees.

Alternatively, you can make a personal application by

• going to the Family Records Centre in London
• going to the local register office for the district where the event was originally registered.

Overseas certificates are usually produced within five working days. For copies of certification for marriages that have taken place in certain countries overseas – see below for a full list – please allow seven to ten working days.

Article 7 Marriages accepted from:-

Arranging wedding anniversary greetings from the Queen

You can arrange to have a congratulatory message sent from the Queen to relatives or friends celebrating their 60th, 65th or 70th wedding anniversaries - and every year thereafter. The communication consists of a card containing a personalised message and a facsimile signature. It comes in a special envelope and is delivered in the post. A thoughtful gesture, most people agree that it makes a special day even more special to receive a royal greeting in this way - and also serves as a permanent memento of the occasion. For further details, see www.royal.gov.uk

For data privacy reasons, there is no automatic alert from government records for wedding anniversaries. This means that couples must be proactively nominated for each occasion - and we recommend that this is done at least 6 weeks before the day in question.

If you have the marriage certificate, you can apply direct to Buckingham Palace on +44 (0)20 7930 4832. Alternatively, you can all to +44 (0)151 471 4256 and we will verify the details and notify Buckingham Palace on your behalf.

Special commemorative certificates

Special certificates for Silver (25th), Ruby (40th), Golden (50th) and Diamond (60th) wedding anniversaries make a thoughtful gift and treasured keepsake. Printed on specially designed certificates, they feature the original marriage details and are mounted in a hand-finished leatherette frame and delivered in a presentation box.

For more information about commemorative certificates, call +44 (0)151 471 4256.

Please ensure you place your order at least 14 days before you need the certificate.

How do I obtain new certificates after a record has been changed?

There is no charge for authorising a correction - but there is a fee for providing certificates of the corrected record. You can buy these at any time - although, if it is less than 18 months since the correction or new record was made, you should apply to the register office, church or other religious building where the marriage was registered.

After 18 months, you can also obtain certificates from the Family Record Centre in person or by post, fax or online from the GRO in Southport.

How to order overseas certificates

Applications for certificates of overseas birth, death or marriage certificates can be made in a number of ways:

• by a personal visit to the Family Records Centre in Islington, London
• by secure online ordering
• by calling +44 (0) 151 471 4801, giving details of the birth death or marriage and paying with a credit or debit card
• by post to the following address, giving as much information as you can about the birth, death or marriage:

Overseas Section The General Register Office Smedley Hydro Trafalgar Road Birkdale Southport Merseyside PR8 2HH

What information do I need to give ?

The minimum information required for a search to be carried out are the full names, the place and the approximate date of the event. If you don't know where the event took place, then put in ‘unknown' and a search will then be made throughout the overseas indexes. Unfortunately, if you do not know the exact location of the event, we may not be able to narrow down the search to just one entry. If you are uncertain about the year in which the event took place, then just put in your best estimate.

Delivery

Overseas certificates are usually be produced within five working days. For copies of certification for marriages that have taken place in certain countries overseas, see below for a list. Please allow 7 to 10 working days.

Overseas certificates costs

Depending on how you intend to apply for your certificate, please see Certificate fees for details of:

• costs of certificate applications to the GRO via online applications
• costs of certificate applications to the GRO via postal, phone and fax applications
• costs of certificate applications via the Family Records Centre

What do I do if my overseas certificate needs legalising?

If your certificate requires legalising by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we can arrange for this to be done on your behalf providing you enclose the Foreign and Commonwealth Office current fee, along with the name of the country requiring legalisation. (These costs are in addition to the price of purchasing a certificate)

• For this service, this office will charge an administration fee of £3.00
• Foreign & Commonwealth Office Apostille fee £19

(fee may be subject to change, please see Obtaining an Apostille under Legalisation in the Services section on www.fco.gov.uk).

Owing to currency conversion charges made by receiving banks, refunds to customers overseas will not be made unless they are over £5.00.

What should I do if my certificate needs legalising for overseas purposes?

If your certificate requires legalising by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we can arrange for an Apostille to be produced on your behalf. An Apostille is a stamp or letter requested by certain overseas authorities to authenticate a document as genuine, thereby legalising it for use in another country. Please note: we charge an administration fee in addition to the cost of providing the certificate, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also charges an Apostille fee.

• For this service, this office will charge an administration fee of £3.00
• Foreign & Commonwealth Office Apostille fee £19

(fee may be subject to change, please see Obtaining an Apostille under Legalisation in the Services section on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website www.fco.gov.uk).