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You can get married or form a civil partnership in England or Wales if you鈥檙e:

• 18 or over

• not already married or in a civil partnership

• not closely related

Same sex couples can convert a civil partnership into a marriage in England or Wales.

There are different rules if you want to get married or form a civil partnership:

• outside the UK

If you or your partner are from outside the UK or Ireland

You might need to apply for a visa to get married in the UK

You must apply for a visa to come to the UK to give notice, get married or form a civil partnership, unless one of the following is true:

• you are a British or Irish citizen

• you have indefinite leave to remain in the UK

• you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

• you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme on or before 30 June 2021

• you are already in the UK on a visa that lasts longer than 6 months

If you鈥檙e already in the UK on a visa that lasts longer than 6 months, you might need to tell the Home Office that you鈥檝e got married or formed a civil partnership.

If you need to apply for a visa

The visa or permit you need depends on where your partner is from and whether you want to live in the UK after your ceremony.

You can apply for:

• a marriage visitor visa - if you鈥檙e not going to live in the UK and will stay less than 6 months

• a family visa - to live permanently in the UK if your partner is a British citizen, settled in the UK, has refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK

• a family permit - to join your family member from the EU, EEA or Switzerland in the UK

If you give notice without the right visa, the immigration authorities at the Home Office will be told.

The Home Office might:

• ask questions about you and your relationship - if this happens you may need to wait up to 70 days before getting married or forming a civil partnership

• decide not to approve your notice - if this happens you cannot get married or form a civil partnership in the UK

You must decide where to have your marriage or civil partnership ceremony before 鈥榞iving notice鈥�.

To give notice, you鈥檒l sign a legal statement at your local register office saying you intend to get married or form a civil partnership. This must include details of the final venue for your ceremony.

You must hold your ceremony within 12 months of 鈥榞iving notice鈥�.

Choose the type of ceremony

You can choose to have either a religious ceremony or a civil ceremony if you鈥檙e getting married.

If you鈥檙e forming a civil partnership you cannot have a religious ceremony.

Religious ceremonies

A religious wedding can take place at any registered religious building.

Same-sex couples can get married in a religious building if it has been registered for the marriage of same-sex couples. You cannot get married in an Anglican church as a same-sex couple.

An authorised person, such as a religious minister, must attend the ceremony and sign the 鈥榤arriage schedule鈥� or 鈥榤arriage document鈥�.

Check with the venue if there is an authorised person. If not, you鈥檒l need to book a registrar. This costs 拢104.

Civil ceremonies

You can have a civil ceremony at:

• a register office
• any venue approved by the local council, for example a stately home or hotel

You must have at least 2 witnesses at the ceremony.

A registrar must carry out, or be present at, your ceremony. You can book a registrar yourself or the venue may do this for you.

The cost of a registrar is:

• 拢56 at a register office
• 拢104 at a registered religious building

Costs may be different at other approved premises.

What can happen at the ceremony

You must exchange vows if you鈥檙e getting married. Discuss any other wording you want with the person carrying out the ceremony.

You do not need to exchange vows for a civil partnership, but you can if you鈥檇 like to.

Civil ceremonies can include readings, songs or music, but must not include anything that鈥檚 religious (for example hymns or readings from the Bible or the Torah). You can get a religious blessing of your marriage after a civil ceremony.

If you鈥檙e getting married, you and your partner sign the marriage schedule or marriage document at the ceremony. You can each include up to 4 parents on the form (for example mothers, fathers or step-parents).

After a marriage ceremony

Your signed marriage schedule or document is sent to your local register office where it鈥檚 added to the marriage register. After that, you can get your marriage certificate.

Contact your local register office to find out how to get your marriage certificate and how long it will take.

You must sign a legal statement at your local register office to say you intend to get married or form a civil partnership. This is known as 鈥榞iving notice鈥�.

You must give notice at least 29 days before your ceremony.

For example, if you give notice on 1 May, the earliest date you can get married or form a civil partnership is 30 May.

You must hold your ceremony within 12 months of 鈥榞iving notice鈥�.

Where to give notice

You usually need to make an appointment to give notice at your local register office. You must have lived in that registration district for the past 7 days.

You and your partner will need to give notice separately if you live in different registration districts. You do not have to do this on the same day.

If one of you is from outside the UK

You and your partner must give notice together, unless you both have one of the following:

• British or Irish citizenship
• settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• an application to the EU Settlement Scheme that you made before 30 June 2021, which you鈥檙e waiting for a decision on

You must give your notice together at a register office in the district where at least one of you lives.

If your partner gave notice separately before 1 July 2021, they will need to give notice again with you.

You must bring originals of the following documents to your appointment:

• details of the final venue for your ceremony
• a valid passport (or UK birth certificate if you were born before 1 January 1983)
• proof of your home address
• proof of any name changes (for example, a copy of a deed poll)

To prove your address, bring one of the following:

• valid UK or Irish driving licence
• gas, water or electricity bill from the last 3 months
• bank or building society statement from the last month
• Council Tax bill from the last 12 months
• mortgage statement from the last 12 months
• current tenancy agreement
• letter from your landlord (dated within the last 7 days) confirming you live there and including your landlord鈥檚 name, address and their signature

If your normal address is outside the UK, you鈥檒l need to give details of a UK contact address. For example, this could be your partner, friend or family member鈥檚 address.

If you鈥檝e been married or in a civil partnership before

You鈥檒l also need to bring one of the following documents:

• a decree absolute or final order
• your former partner鈥檚 death certificate

You need to bring proof of your divorce, annulment or dissolution if it was granted outside of the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man. You鈥檒l have to pay a fee of 拢55 for the local register office to check your documents or 拢83 if the General Register Office needs to check them.

If you or your partner are from outside the UK

You鈥檒l also need to bring:

• a passport sized photo for each of you (even if only one of you is from outside the UK)
• proof of your current immigration status (for example, your visa)
• a translation of any documents that are not in English

If you鈥檙e from the EU, EEA or have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

You鈥檒l need to bring confirmation of either:

• your settled or pre-settled status - you鈥檒l need to bring a 鈥榮hare code鈥� which you can get from the 鈥榲iew and prove your immigration status鈥� service (the code will be valid for 30 days)
• an application to the EU Settlement Scheme you made on or before 30 June 2021, which you鈥檙e waiting for a decision on - you鈥檒l need to bring your certificate of application