How do I give notice of marriage or a civil partnership?
Notice is the legal step that has to happen before any wedding. Where to give it, the waiting period, how long it lasts, and why Scotland and Northern Ireland work differently.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 13 min
- Read
- 5 min
Short answer
In England and Wales you give notice in person at the register office for the district where you have lived for at least the previous seven days, and the ceremony can take place at least twenty-nine days later. In Scotland notice goes to the registrar for the district where the ceremony will happen, with no residency requirement. In Northern Ireland it goes to the council district of the ceremony, with a twenty-eight day minimum.
Notice is not a formality: without it the ceremony cannot legally happen, and the waiting period is fixed. The three systems differ in a way that catches couples out — in England and Wales notice is tied to where you live, in Scotland and Northern Ireland it is tied to where you are getting married. Booking a venue before understanding which applies is how dates get moved.
Step by step
- Book the ceremony and the notice appointment in the right order.Provisionally book the venue and the registrar or officiant first, because the notice records where the ceremony will take place. Then book the notice appointment. Notice appointments themselves get booked up.
- England and Wales: give notice where you live.In person at the register office for the district where you have lived for at least the previous seven days. If you and your partner live in different districts you each give notice separately in your own.
- England and Wales: allow at least twenty-nine days.The statutory waiting period is twenty-eight days after the notice is recorded, so the earliest a ceremony can happen is the twenty-ninth day. The notice is displayed publicly during that period and is valid for twelve months.
- Scotland: give notice where the ceremony is.Notice goes to the registrar for the district where the marriage or civil partnership will take place, and there is no residency requirement at all. Allow twenty-nine days, and note that the marriage schedule is collected shortly before the ceremony rather than sent out.
- Northern Ireland: allow longer than the minimum.Notice goes to the registrar for the council district of the ceremony, with a statutory minimum of twenty-eight days. The registrar's own recommendation is roughly eight weeks, or ten if either of you has been married or in a civil partnership before.
- Take the right documents.Passport or other evidence of identity and nationality, proof of address, and — if either of you has been married or in a civil partnership before — the decree absolute or final order, the decree of divorce, or the death certificate. Documents not in English need a certified translation.
- Check the age rules for the nation.The minimum age is eighteen in England and Wales. It remains sixteen in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Northern Ireland registrars cannot accept notice from a sixteen or seventeen year old habitually resident in England or Wales.
- Understand the religious and belief routes.In England and Wales a religious ceremony must be in a registered building and, unless there is an authorised person to sign the schedule, a registrar has to attend for a fee. In Scotland and Northern Ireland religious and belief ceremonies — including humanist ones — can take place at a much wider range of places, indoors or outdoors, with an authorised officiant.
- Know what a civil ceremony cannot include.A civil ceremony must contain nothing religious — no hymns, no readings from religious texts. Check any reading or piece of music with the registrar in advance.
- Expect the schedule, not a register book.England and Wales moved to a marriage schedule system, which is signed at the ceremony and returned to the registrar to be entered electronically. Up to four parents can be named, so mothers appear as well as fathers. Scotland and Northern Ireland use their own schedules with their own collection and return rules.
- Order the certificate afterwards.The marriage certificate is ordered after the entry is made, not handed over at the ceremony. Order at least two — you will be sending originals to change names on documents.
Tips
- Book the notice appointment as soon as you have a date. Appointments, not the waiting period, are usually the bottleneck.
- Take original documents, not photocopies, and check the register office's list before you go.
- Order two or three marriage certificates. Changing names on documents means sending originals away.
Common mistakes
- Counting twenty-eight days from the appointment date — The waiting period runs from when the notice is recorded, and the earliest ceremony is the twenty-ninth day. Working to twenty-eight days can put the ceremony a day too early.
- Assuming a religious ceremony needs no registrar — In England and Wales, unless the building has an authorised person to sign the schedule, a registrar must attend and there is a fee for it. Confirm which applies when you book.
If it doesn't work
The venue is booked but you have not given notice
Cause: Assuming the venue booking is the legal step — Fix: Book the notice appointment immediately and count the waiting period from when notice will actually be recorded, not from today. If it does not fit, the date has to move.
A previous marriage document is missing
Cause: Divorce or death paperwork lost — Fix: Order a replacement decree or certificate before the notice appointment. Registrars cannot take notice without it and appointments are hard to rebook quickly.
You live in different countries of the UK
Cause: Two different notice systems — Fix: Ask both register offices how to combine the requirements. It is common and there is an established way of doing it, but it needs more time than a single-nation notice.
Questions people ask
How long is notice valid for?
Twelve months in England and Wales. If the ceremony slips beyond that, notice has to be given again, with the waiting period running afresh.
Can we marry in a different area?
In England and Wales, yes — you give notice where each of you lives, and name the venue in the notice. In Scotland and Northern Ireland notice is given where the ceremony will happen.
What if one of us is not a British or Irish citizen?
The notice period can be extended where the Home Office refers the case for investigation, and additional evidence about immigration status is required. Speak to the register office early, because it materially affects the timetable.
Are humanist weddings legally binding?
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, yes, where the celebrant is authorised. In England and Wales a humanist ceremony is not by itself legally binding and couples usually complete a separate civil ceremony.
Can we convert a civil partnership into a marriage?
Conversion routes exist and the rules differ across the nations and have changed over time. Ask the register office for the current position rather than relying on an older article.