Official sources first

Many websites explain marriage rules. Only some of them belong to the bodies that set or apply the rules. Learn to tell them apart, and check every claim at the source.

Who sets the rules

The law of the country or state sets the rules, and the office applies them. The country guides on this site use official pages such as GOV.UK and nidirect in the UK, the HSE in Ireland, Govt.nz in New Zealand, state government pages in Australia, and state and county pages in the United States.

How to reach an official page

• Start from the national or state government website, or from the sources that our country guide names.
• Follow the link from a listing to the office's own marriage page.
• Do not rely on a web address alone. Some official offices use county or council websites. Some other websites use names or designs that look official.

Third-party services

Some businesses offer to fill in forms, book appointments, translate or prepare documents. Before you pay, find out what the office itself requires and charges. Ask the business exactly what it does that you cannot do yourself. The office, not the business, decides on your notice or licence.

Read our pages the same way

This site is not an official source. Our guides name their sources and show an update date. A listing shows a source note with the date we read the source. Use them to find the official page, then follow the official page.

Check the date

Rules and fees change. Note the date of every page that you rely on. If a page shows no date, confirm the detail with the office.

Sources

• MarriageLicense.fyi: country guides and source list
• GOV.UK: Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales
• HSE: How to get married in Ireland
• Govt.nz: Get a marriage licence
• MarriageLicense.fyi guide: Marriage License vs. Marriage Certificate, updated 2026-10-10

This course is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.