Give notice

• for British couples and some others (including Irish nationals and those with status under the European settlement scheme), the waiting period is 29 days from the notice date to your ceremony date
• for couples where one or both are foreign nationals (without specified immigration status), the waiting period will be at least 29 days and may be extended to 71 days
• you can give notice up to 12 months before your ceremony date

We strongly encourage that you book an appointment to give notice at least 3 months in advance of your ceremony date.

Leaving it any later than this means that you risk being unable to book an appointment in time for your intended ceremony date, so your ceremony won’t be able to take place.

If you’re from the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, from 1 July 2021, you will need a visa, unless you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme or you applied to the EU settlement scheme before 30 June 2021, and are waiting for a decision. Bring proof of your application for the appointment.

In this case, your notice will have a waiting period of 29 days, however the person giving notice is responsible for obtaining a unique share code (eg A1234567) prior to their appointment to give to the superintendent registrar when giving notice.

Your status will then be checked at your appointment and if confirmed the notice can be taken in the normal manner without referral to the home office.

If you do need 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’re not going to live in the UK and will stay less than 6 months
• 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
• family permit to join your family member from the EU, EEA or Switzerland in the UK

If you don’t have a marriage visitor visa or family visa you can still give notice of your intention to get married or form a civil partnership but 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 71 days before getting married or forming a civil partnership
• decide not to approve your notice. If this happens you can’t get married or form a civil partnership in the UK

Please note that the above doesn’t apply to Irish nationals who will have a standard 29 day waiting period and no referral to the Home Office.

See further information on marriage and civil partnership.

If you’re a British national and live in Hackney, you must give notice in Hackney. If you’re British and don’t live in Hackney, you’ll give notice in the borough where you live.

If one or both of you not a British national and you live in Hackney, you can still give notice in Hackney, but you must both come together to your appointment.

If one or both of you are not British national and one of you lives in Hackney and the other person in another district you can give notice in either of your districts. You must attend one notice appointment together in either of your districts

Whatever your nationality, you must have been resident at your addresses for at least the eight days just before the day of the notice appointment.

Before you arrive for your appointment to give notice, you should be sure which type of legal contract you wish to create. The registration service are unable to advise you on this matter. If you change your mind afterwards you will have to give notice (and pay) again as well as restart the statutory waiting period.

Please note Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships are both non-religious ceremonies.

You can learn more about the differences between the formation of a marriage and a civil partnership by visiting GOV.UK.

Please note that before booking an appointment:

• you or your partner must be a Hackney resident
• you should have decided if you are having a marriage or civil partnership (please see above if you want to know more about the differences)
• you must have decided the venue for your ceremony (if you change your mind after giving notice you will have to book and pay again for a new notice as well as restart your statutory waiting period)

Please don’t use the booking links below and email ceremonies@hackney.gov.uk if you require a certificate of non-impediment and having your ceremony abroad.

EU Nationals – If you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you will need to generate a share code to give to the registrar at your appointment. Please visit the GOV.UK website on how to do this. This does not apply to Irish Nationals or EU Nationals who have a valid marriage/civil partnership visa or Indefinite Leave to Remain/Enter.

Please don’t make an appointment if you don’t meet the above – if you do, we’ll have to cancel it.

Book notice of marriage appointment

Book notice of civil partnership appointment

See our full checklist of required documents (google doc).

You must each bring the following to your notice appointment:

• your current, valid passport
• the name and address of your marriage or civil partnership venue
• proof of address which must be one of the following:
  • bank statement
    • must be dated within one month of your notice date
    • must be the original statements posted to your home, or online statements you have printed
    • must show your name and address
    • statements printed by the bank must show your name and address and be date stamped by the bank, or must show ‘printed in branch’ plus the date
    • credit card statements are not accepted
  • water, gas, electricity, landline phone, cable or broadband bill
    • must be dated within the last 3 months (mobile phone bills are not accepted)
  • council tax bill
    • must be dated within the last year
  • mortgage statement
    • must be dated within the last year
  • valid UK driving licence
  • current residential tenancy agreement
  • letter from the owner of the property that you are residing in, which must:
    • confirm that they are the owner of the property
    • state their name and address
    • state that you are residing at the property
    • confirm how long you have been residing there
    • be signed and dated by the owner within one month of your notice date

If you bring the letter, it should be signed and dated by the owner within one month of your notice date.

If either or both of you can’t speak English, you will need to bring someone who can interpret for the non-English speaking partner(s). Partners can’t interpret for each other.

If one or both of you is a foreign national you’ll need to pay an extra £12 each at your notice appointment. You’ll also need to bring a passport-sized photograph each.

You don’t need to make the extra payment or bring photos if you have: indefinite leave to remain or indefinite leave to enter or if you are an EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme.

If you hold a Marriage Visa(s) you’ll be required to bring photographs, but won’t pay an additional fee. Irish nationals also don’t need to make the extra payment or bring photos.

Other original documents you must bring, depending on your circumstances:

• divorced or dissolved civil partnership:
  • final divorce or dissolution document
  • marriage or civil partnership certificate
  • if documents are not in English, a full English translation by a third party, including translator’s details and signature
• widowed or are a surviving civil partner:
  • spouse or civil partner’s death certificate
  • marriage or civil partnership certificate
• changed name:
  • official proof of name change
• under 18:
  • completed parental consent form; collect one from us before your notice appointment

Marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales

Marriage and civil partnership paperwork is usually issued 29 days after the notice appointment. If you are a couple where one or both of you is not British and doesn’t have the appropriate immigration status, you will be referred to the Home Office – this could mean that your waiting period will be 71 days.

When the marriage or civil partnership paperwork is issued, it will be sent directly to the register office of the borough where your ceremony is taking place. If you are getting married in a Hackney religious building, the minister may have to collect your marriage paperwork from Hackney register office.

If one of you has (or both of you have) a foreign divorce or civil partnership dissolution, this will be submitted to the General Register Office for clearance. It is likely to be at least 6 weeks before your paperwork can be issued.

We advise you to give notice in plenty of time as the ceremony cannot go ahead until the divorce/dissolution has been cleared.

Marriage or civil partnership abroad

Your certificate of non-impediment (CoNI) will usually be issued 29 days after the notice appointment.

If one of you has (or both of you have) a foreign divorce or civil partnership dissolution, this will be submitted to the General Register Office for clearance. It is likely to be at least 6 weeks before your CoNI can be issued. We advise you to give notice in plenty of time as we cannot issue the CoNI until the divorce/dissolution has been cleared.

Marriage in the Church of England or Church of Wales

Contact the minister of the church and ask whether you need to give notice. Most couples getting married in the Church of England or Church of Wales do not need to give notice at a register office. The Church of England and Church of Wales will not be conducting marriages for same sex couples.

If the minister asks you to give notice, you will need to make an appointment at your local register office.

If you have given notice to be married in a Church of England church in Hackney, the minister will need to collect your marriage authorities from Hackney register office before the ceremony can take place.

Marriage and civil partnership in another religious building

Find out about getting married or forming a civil partnership in another religious building (not Church of England or Church of Wales).

First contact the relevant consulate or embassy for advice about the documents you need. If they tell you that you need a Certificate of Non-Impediment (CoNI), this can be issued (in some circumstances) by a register office. You should make a notice appointment to apply for a CoNI.

You may be able to give notice in Hackney for a CoNI if:

• you are a British subject
• you live in Hackney
• your proposed spouse or civil partner is a foreign national
• the marriage or civil partnership ceremony will be in a foreign country
• you have lived in Hackney for at least the 8 full days before the day of your notice appointment

or:

• you are two resident British subjects (some residence restrictions apply)
• the marriage or civil partnership ceremony will be in a foreign country

CoNIs are usually issued 29 days after the notice appointment (but not at weekends). You may need to get an apostille stamp for your CoNI to get it legalised before you take it to the foreign authorities. You can get an apostille stamp from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Legalisation Office.

Sometimes we are unable to take a notice for people marrying or forming civil partnerships abroad. Please contact us for advice.

We cannot take a notice for two non-British subjects to get married or form a civil partnership in a foreign country.

See the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice on marriage and civil partnership ceremonies abroad.