Marriages and Civil Partnerships FAQs

- What is the difference between a marriage and a civil partnership?
- How do my partner and I go about getting married / forming a civil partnership?
- Why do we need to give notice before getting married or forming a civil partnership?
- I live in Hackney and my partner lives in another borough. Where do we give notice?
- If I am a foreign national how do I get married or form a civil partnership?
- What do I need to bring to the appointment to give notice?
- I was divorced in a foreign country; do I need to provide anything different?
- What will I be asked in the appointment?
- How long will the notice appointment take?
- How much will the notice appointment cost?
- How can I pay?
- How soon can I get married or form a civil partnership after giving notice?
- How far in advance can I book the notice appointment?
- What do we do after giving notice?
- I am under 18; can I still get married / form a civil partnership?
- I recently changed my name, will that affect the notice?
- I am a widow or widower; do I need to provide anything different?
- Do I have to get married or form a civil partnership in the Town Hall?
- Are there any extra costs when getting married / forming a civil partnership?
- I am getting married / forming a civil partnership in another country, what do I need to do?
- What happens at a civil partnership ceremony?
- Can a civil partnership be dissolved?
- If I am getting married in a church or chapel, do I still need to give notice of my intention to get married at my local register office?
- My marriage will take place in a religious building; do I need to do anything different?
- How do I correct an error on my marriage or civil partnership certificate?
- How do I order additional copies of a marriage / civil partnership certificate?
- How do I register a place of worship and or marriage?

What is the difference between a marriage and a civil partnership?

Heterosexual couples can get married because by law 'marriage' is defined as the union of one man and one woman
Same sex couples can form a civil partnership, which gives them similar rights as married couples.

How do my partner and I go about getting married / forming a civil partnership?

Firstly you will need to give notice of your intention to get married or to form a civil partnership. You must give notice in the borough where you live. You will need to prove that you have lived there for the last seven days or more.

If a couple live in different boroughs they must give notice at your respective local register offices. If you live in Hackney, call Hackney Contact Centre on 020 8356 3000 to make an appointment to give notice of marriage.

If you are between 16 and 18, you will need written consent from your parents or legal guardians. You must come to the Register Office in person to collect a consent form for your parents or guardians to sign and then return it to the office.

If you are a foreign national, there are different requirements. Please see the Marriage and Civil Partnerships for Foreign Nationals FAQ.

Why do we need to give notice before getting married or forming a civil partnership?

Giving notice is a legal requirement to make sure you are legally free to marry or form a civil partnership in other words you are

not under the legal age,
not related to the person you wish to marry or form a civil partnership with
not already in a marriage or civil partnership
marrying or forming a civil partnership of your own free will

A copy of the notice is displayed in the public area inside the Register Office for 15 days, allowing for any legal objections to be made. The ceremony cannot take place until the sixteenth day.

I live in Hackney and my partner lives in another borough. Where do we give notice?

If you are both British or European citizens, you have to give notice in at the register office in the borough where you live.

Search for your local register office

If one or both of you are foreign nationals and subject to immigration control you have to give notice at a designated register office able to take notices for foreign nationals.

Please visit this link for more information: www.direct.gov.uk or view the following document for a list of 'Designated' Register Offices in England and Wales

If I am a foreign national how do I get married or form a civil partnership?

If you or your partner are subject to immigration control, you need to give notice of a marriage or civil partnership.

You can do this at one of the 76 designated register offices in England and Wales. You must attend the register office together. Hackney Register Office is a designated register office.

You will be asked for documentary evidence for some information, for example your nationality, so you will need to take your passport. You will also need evidence of the ending of any previous marriage or civil partnership.

If you want to come to the UK to marry or register a civil partnership, you will need to get the correct entry clearance. You will need this before you travel to the UK.

You are not subject to immigration control if you have the right of abode in the UK, or are one of the following:

a British citizen
an EEA national - see below for list of EEA countries
a member of visiting forces from NATO and Commonwealth countries
a diplomat that is not subject to immigration control

EEA Countries

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland*, United Kingdom

*Switzerland is not an EEA country but Swiss nationals have the same free movement as EEA nationals

What do I need to bring to the appointment to give notice?

You will need to bring:

A valid passport (un-expired) - regardless of nationality. If you don't have one, please contact the Registration Service.
Proof of address to show you have lived in Hackney for the last eight days or more such as bank statement, council tax bill or utility bill, in your name which is dated within the last 3 months. If you don't have one, please contact the Registration Service.
Your dissolution, divorce or decree absolute papers if you have been married or formed a civil partnership before. These documents prove that the marriage or civil partnership has ended in law. You may also have to bring along the certificate relating to your previous marriage or civil partnership if you changed your name following the marriage or civil partnership.
A death certificate for your spouse, if you are a widow or widower, or surviving partner in a civil partnership. You may also be required to bring the marriage or civil partnership certificate if your details do not appear on the death certificate.

If you have recently changed your name by Deed Poll or Change of Name Deed, you must bring this document to the appointment.

Please note that all documents will need to be original - we do not accept photocopies. You are also required to provide a translation for any documents that are not in English.

I was divorced in a foreign country; do I need to provide anything different?

You must bring original dissolution or divorce documents, your marriage or civil partnership cannot take place until these are seen by the registrar. These documents may need to be sent to the General Register Office for England and Wales in Southport to check they are legally valid, so you should make sure you give notice in good time to allow for this.

If any of the documents are in a foreign language, you will need to provide us with a translation. The translation does not have to be done by a commercial translation service.

What will I be asked in the appointment?

The registrar will need to know the venue where you will be holding your wedding or civil partnership ceremony.

This is important, because the information must be included in the notice. If you change the venue after you have given notice, you will have to give a new notice.

The registrar will also ask you a few questions about yourself and your partner.

How long will the notice appointment take?

Appointments are held on weekdays and take approximately 20 minutes. Weekends are usually reserved for ceremonies.

How much will the notice appointment cost?

Each person needs to make a payment of £33.50 to your local register office.

How can I pay?

You can pay by cheque, cash, credit or debit card or postal order.

How soon can I get married or form a civil partnership after giving notice?

There is a legal requirement to wait for 15 clear working days (weekends are not counted) before the marriage or partnership can be formalised, so the earliest you can get married or form a civil partnership on the sixteenth day.

Example:

You give notice on 1 July and your partner gives notice on 3 July. The first date the wedding or civil partnership can take place is on 19 July, which is 15 clear working days from the date of the second notice. The notice is valid until 1 July the following year, which is 12 months from the date of the first notice.

It may be possible to reduce the 15-day waiting period in exceptional circumstances where there are compelling reasons to do so.

How far in advance can I book the notice appointment?

Notices are valid for 12 months, so should beorganised up to a year before your wedding or civil partnership ceremony.

Beware, if you have set your wedding or civil partnership ceremony date more than a year in advance you will need to give notice within 12 months before the date otherwise your permission to marry or form a civil partnership will not be valid.

What do we do after giving notice?

If the 15-day waiting period has ended and no objections have been made, the register office will issue the authority or permission papers for the marriage or civil partnership to take place.

If there has been an objection you will need to contact Hackney Contact Centre on 020 8356 3000 or email registrars@hackney.gov.uk

If you are getting married or forming civil partnership in Hackney, Hackney Register Office will keep your authority for marriage or civil partnership.

If you are getting married or forming civil partnership outside Hackney, you will need to collect the authority document and give it to the person who will be conducting the ceremony. You can ask Hackney Register Office to post the authority document to you, if you wish.

I am under 18; can I still get married / form a civil partnership?

Yes, if you are over 16. You will need written consent from your parents or legal guardians. You must come to the Register Office in person to collect a consent form for your parents or guardians to sign and then return it to the office.

I recently changed my name, will that affect the notice?

No, but you must bring your change of name deed or Deed Poll to the appointment. Please bring the original documents as we cannot accept copies.

I am a widow or widower; do I need to provide anything different?

You will need to bring your late partner's death certificate. Please bring the original documents as we cannot accept copies.

Do I have to get married or form a civil partnership in the Town Hall?

No. Ceremonies can take place in a variety of buildings approved by local authorities.

Hackney Register Office can provide you with a brochure of venues in the borough.

Are there any extra costs when getting married / forming a civil partnership?

As well as the cost of the notice appointment, there may be other fees to pay, such as the cost for attendance by the superintendent registrar and registrar which is set by the local authority or the cost made by the owners of the building for the use of the premises. Please contact Hackney Contact Centre on 020 8356 3000 or email registrars@hackney.gov.uk for more information.

I am getting married / forming a civil partnership in another country, what do I need to do?

You must check with the embassy of the country in which you wish to marry or form a civil partnership to see what documentation they require. Different countries may have different requirements.

If the foreign authorities ask for a 'certificate of non impediment', this is similar to giving notice to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK. You can give notice at your local register office but allow 21 working days to obtain the certificate.

Conditions for obtaining a 'certificate of non impediment' or similar permission for marriage or civil partnerships vary depending on the country where the ceremony is to be held and the nationality of the couple to be married. Always check with the embassy of the country before booking an appointment to give notice.

Locate your local register office

What happens at a civil partnership ceremony?

The ceremony is a very personal event, and can be written to suit your specific requirements. You can have a consultation with the registrar who is going to conduct the ceremony to discuss your wishes.

However, the civil partnership registration and ceremony are civil processes and so there cannot be anythingreligious in the wording.

Just as with a marriage you do not have to have a ceremony if you do not want to but you must attend a register office and sign the register of births, deaths and marriages with two witnesses. You can simply sign the paper work and leave.

Can a civil partnership be dissolved?

Yes, as in a marriage, a civil partnership will only end on formal dissolution or annulment (considered not to have existed), or the death of one of the partners.

Formal dissolution is court-based, and the person applying will have to provide evidence that the civil partnership has broken down irretrievably just as in a divorce.47

If I am getting married in a church or chapel, do I still need to give notice of my intention to get married at my local register office?

If you are getting married in a Church of England or Church of Wales church or chapel, then you may not need to give notice of your intention to get married at your local register office. Check with the vicar or minister first.

If you have to give notice at your local register office:

Search for your local register office

My marriage will take place in a religious building; do I need to do anything different?

You must make arrangements for your ceremony with the priest, minister or other officiating person who will conduct the ceremony.

If the building does not have an appointed person to register marriages, you will need to arrange for a registrar from the local register office to attend the ceremony and register the marriage. If a registrar is required to register the marriage, a fee is payable in advance.

See Fees and Capacity (36KB) for information on fees.

How do I correct an error on my marriage or civil partnership certificate?

How do I correct an error on my marriage or civil partnership certificate?
If you believe there is an error on your marriage or civil partnership certificate you will need to apply for a correction through the General Register Office on 0151 471 4814 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Post: Marriages & Civil Partnerships, General Register Office, Trafalgar Road, Southport, PR8 2HH.

Email: marriages.gro@ips.gsi.gov.uk / civilpartnerships.gro@ips.gsi.gov.uk
Fax: 0163 365 2975

How do I order additional copies of a marriage / civil partnership certificate?

You can order copy certificates online or:

Contact Hackney Contact Centre on 020 8356 3000 or email registrars@hackney.gov.uk.

How do I register a place of worship and or marriage?

Please contact Hackney Contact Centre on 020 8356 3000 or email registrars@hackney.gov.uk to order copies of certificates to request the required forms or for further information on this service.

Page updated: 6 Sep 2011