Marriage licence rules in the United Kingdom

In the UK, you give formal notice of marriage at a register office before the wedding. The official pages we read describe notice, not a marriage licence. England and Wales share one set of rules. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own.

England and Wales

You must be 18 or over. You must not be married or in a civil partnership already, and you must not be closely related.

You usually book an appointment to give notice at your local register office. You must have lived in that registration district for the past 7 days. Give notice at least 29 days before the ceremony. The ceremony must then take place within 12 months.

To give notice, bring a valid passport or UK birth certificate and proof of address, such as a gas, water or electricity bill from the last 3 months. If you were married before, bring a decree absolute or final order, or your former partner's death certificate.

Local councils charge the notice fee. As one example, Knowsley Council charges £46.50 for each notice, or £63 if the notice must go to the Home Office.

GOV.UK lists the registrar's fee as £62 at a register office and £114.50 at a registered religious building. You need at least 2 witnesses.

If you are from outside the UK or Ireland

You may need a visa to give notice and marry. You cannot do this on a Standard Visitor visa. In some cases the Home Office reviews the notice, and you may wait up to 70 days.

Scotland

mygov.scot says you must be 16 or over. If you provide certificates from outside the UK, it mentions a deadline of at least 29 days before the wedding.

Northern Ireland

nidirect says notice must be given in the 12 months before the marriage, and at least 28 days before it. It advises about 8 weeks, or 10 weeks if either of you was married before. Each notice form costs £22.

Before you book

Fees and appointment rules change by council. Confirm the current details with the register office where you will give notice.

Licence

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The register office list on this site uses the same licence.