How to get married or register a civil partnership in the United Kingdom

If you or your future husband, wife or civil partner are non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and not Swiss nationals, you can visit the United Kingdom together to get married or register a civil partnership as long as you intend to leave the country within six months.

If you are planning to get married or register your civil partnership in the United Kingdom and you are subject to immigration control while in the United Kingdom, you may need to apply for a certificate of approval from the Home Office. You should read the page on documents for details of who needs a certificate of approval to marry in the United Kingdom.

If you are a British citizen, a national of a country in the EEA or the family member of a national in the EEA and who has the right of residence in the United Kingdom, have a certificate of entitlement giving you the right to live in the United Kingdom in your passport or you are not subject to immigration control, the rules on certificate of approval do not apply to you.

Religious ceremonies

The rules on certificate of approval do not currently apply if you plan to get married at an Anglican Church in England or Wales, after marriage banns or a religious licence. You need to contact a member of the clergy at the church where you plan to get married for more help.

If you plan to marry in any other form of religious ceremony you will need to contact the people who will be conducting the ceremony.


Applying from overseas

If you are currently outside the United Kingdom and are coming to the United Kingdom to get married or enter a civil partnership, the documents you require will depend on how long you intend to stay in the United Kingdom.

>If you are coming to the United Kingdom as a visitor for marriage or civil partnership you must get visit for marriage or visit for civil partnership entry clearance.
>If you are planning to travel to the United Kingdom to get married or register a civil partnership with someone already settled here and you plan to stay in the country afterwards, you will need fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner entry clearance (permission to enter).
If you are applying for a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partnership entry clearance, both parties must be over 18 years of age.

Before travelling you should apply for your entry clearance (permission to enter) at a British diplomatic post (which issues the type of entry clearance which you seek) in the country where you normally live.

You will need to show evidence that you plan to enter into a marriage or civil partnership during the period for which you have been granted permission to stay (this will normally be six months).

Fees
The current fees for entry clearance are:

fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa is currently £500; and
marriage or civil partnership visitor visa is currently £63.
Further information about the visas can be found on the UKvisa website.

Applying in the United Kingdom
If you are already in the United Kingdom and do not have settled status (permission to live here permanently) you will need to apply to the Home Office for a certificate of approval before giving notice to marry or register your civil partnership to a registrar.

The certificate of approval requirement does not currently apply to marriages in the Anglican church in England and Wales.

Certificates of Approval

This page contains advice concerning the issue of Certificates of Approval for Marriage (COA), following both the judgement of the High Court on 10 April 2006 and the Court of Appeal on 23rd May 2007. If you are planning to get married in the United Kingdom and you think you may require a COA you should read the guidance 'Important information regarding Certificate of Approval for marriage or civil partnership application (PDF 162K opens in a new window)'.

If you are planning to get married or register your civil partnership in the United Kingdom and you are a person subject to immigration control while in the United Kingdom, you may need to apply for a certificate of approval.

The rules on certificate of approval do not apply to you if you:

>are a British citizen; or
>are a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA); or
>are the family member of an EEA national and have right of residence in the United Kingdom but are not yourself an EEA national; or
>have in your passport a certificate of entitlement giving you right of abode in the United Kingdom; or
>are not subject to immigration control.

If you are coming to the United Kingdom from overseas to get married or register your civil partnership, you must have:

>fiancé(e) entry clearance; or
>proposed civil partner entry clearance; or
>marriage visitor entry clearance; or
>civil partnership visitor entry clearance;

in your passport in order to give to a registrar notice to marry or register your civil partnership.

If you are already in the United Kingdom, you will need either to have settled status in the United Kingdom, or to obtain a certificate of approval before giving to a registrar notice to marry or register your civil partnership.

Whether you are overseas or already in the United Kingdom, you will need to give to a registrar at a designated register office notice to marry or register your civil partnership.

If you think you may need to apply for a certificate of approval, you should read the guidance 'Important information regarding Certificate of Approval for marriage or civil partnership applications' (PDF 162K opens in new window) before making your application.

If you are applying for a certificate of approval in the United Kingdom you will need to complete the application form for a COA. This form and the related guidance can be downloaded from the right side of this page.

It is not possible to apply from abroad for a certificate of approval


How do I give notice to marry or register a civil partnership with a registrar

This page explains what you need to do to give notice to marry or register your civil partnership with a registrar and where you can do this. This page only provides a brief overview of the registration process. For full details you should contact the General Register Office if you are in England or Wales or the General Register Office for Scotland if you are in Scotland.

In order to give notice to marry or register your civil partnership you need to:

>if you are in England and Wales both of you must have lived in a registration district for at least seven days immediately before giving notice of marriage or intention to register a civil partnership;
>bring evidence of your names, addresses, ages and nationalities. If you have been married or registered before you will need proof you are now free to marry or register a civil partnership;
>in Scotland and Northern Ireland you can register by post and you do not have to attend the registration office in person; and
>give your certificate of approval to the registrar when you give notice to marry or register a civil partnership unless you are planning to register in Scotland and Northern Ireland and register by post. You will then need to photocopy the sticker in your passport and send the photocopy to the registrar along with your marriage or civil partnership notice papers.

Once you have given your notice to marry or registered your civil partnership you can:

>get married or register your civil partnership after 15 days in England and Wales and 14 days in Scotland and Northern Ireland; and
>in England and Wales have your wedding or civil partnership at any register office or approved premises 15 days after you have given notice to marry or register your civil partnership.

The notice to marry or register your civil partnership is valid for one year from the date on which it was given in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and for three months in Scotland. Your marriage or civil partnership must take place within this time or you will have to apply again starting with the certificate of approval.

Registering your marriage or civil partnership

If you or your partner is subject to immigration control and you plan to marry or register your civil partnership you will need to give notice to marry or register your civil partnership at a designated office. All registration offices in Scotland and Northern Ireland are designated offices and 76 offices in England and Wales are designated. For a list of the 76 offices in England and Wales and for further information you should contact the General Register Office.


More info can be found here http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/vis...ettingmarried/