A Guide for Authorised Persons - Gov.uk

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2. Marriage Preliminaries2.1 You can only solemnize and register marriages where couples have given notice ofintent to marry at a register office and the superintendent registrar (SR) has issuedtwo certificates for marriage. You should treat a certificate of no impediment fromScotland in the same way as any other certificate. Examples of these certificatecan be found in Appendix D.General InformationHours of marriage2.2 Marriages may be solemnized at any hour of the day or night and on any day of theweek including Bank Holidays. However this will be subject to the agreement of theauthorised person and in the event that a registrar has to attend in place of anauthorised person, then the couple will need to obtain the agreement fromregistration district concerned.Access2.3 The public must have unrestricted access to the registered building during anymarriage ceremony.Witnesses2.4 Two or more witnesses must be present at the marriage. There is no restriction onthe number of witnesses nor is there an age limit but they must be able tounderstand what is taking place and testify if necessary as to what they have seenand heard.Giving notice of intent to marry2.5 Both parties to the marriage need to give notice at either the same or differentregister offices, depending on where they live and their immigration status. Thecouple must complete 7 full days residence in that district before they can givenotice and they may only give notice up to 12 months ahead of the marriage. After15 clear days from when the notice has been entered, the superintendent registrarmay produce the certificates. The Registrar General may, when there areexceptional circumstances and compelling reasons, reduce the 15 day waitingperiod when the couple formally applies for this. On such occasions you shouldadvise the couple to speak to the SR.2.6 Where one or both parties are not a British citizen or and EEA national they may besubject to immigration control, they will both need to attend a designated registeroffice together to give notice of intent to marry. Your local SR will be able to adviseyou further. A flowchart in Appendix A provides a guide to marriage preliminaries.2.7 If one of the parties is serving aboard one of HM Ships at sea, they may give noticeto the Commanding Officer who will issue a certificate. In this case, the waitingperiod is a clear 21 days and not 15 days. There is no provision for the RegistrarGeneral to reduce this waiting period.2.8 A certificate of Publication of Banns in England and Wales, Scotland or Ireland oran Ecclesiastical Licence must not be accepted as authority for a marriage.5
Place of marriage2.9 The couple may only marry in the registered building which is specified in the SR’scertificate for marriage. To qualify to marry in the registered building at least one ofthe parties must either:reside in the registration district where the registered building is locatedorthe building is the usual place of worship.If, however, there is no registered building of the denomination required by thecouple in which either of them resides, they may marry in the nearest district whichdoes contain a building of the required denomination.Marriage by Registrar General’s Licence2.10 The Marriage (Registrar General’s Licence) Act 1970 provides for a marriage totake place when one of the parties is seriously ill and not expected to recover. Themarriage can be a civil or religious ceremony (except for Church of England orChurch in Wales marriages). As all marriages by Registrar General’s Licence(except those according to the usages of the Jews and the Society of Friends)require the attendance of a registrar, you have no legal registration duty to carryout. If you have any queries about Registrar General’s Licences, please contactyour local SR.Marriage of housebound and detained persons2.11 The Marriage Act 1983 provides for the marriage of a person who is houseboundthrough illness or disability or detained, for example in a prison, to be solemnizedwhere that person resides.2.12 The marriage can be a civil or religious ceremony (except those according to theusages of the Jews and the Society of Friends) and must be registered by aregistrar; therefore you have no registration duty to carry out, though if you are aminister or priest you may be asked to perform the religious ceremony. Notice ofmarriage must be given to the superintendent registrar in the normal way. If youhave any queries about housebound or detained persons marriages, please contactyour local SR.6
Page 1 and 2: A Guide for AuthorisedPersonsGenera
Page 3 and 4: Appendix A: Flow chart - Guide to M
Page 8 and 9: 3. Solemnization of marriagePre-mar
Page 10 and 11: there is little interaction between
Page 12 and 13: 4. Registering the marriage4.1 The
Page 14 and 15: a third person. Referral to the pre
Page 16 and 17: The entry is only complete when the
Page 18 and 19: 5. Corrections5.1 There are two typ
Page 20 and 21: 6. Quarterly Certified CopiesPrepar
Page 22 and 23: 7. Frequently asked questions1. Wha
Page 24 and 25: Appendix AAuthorised Persons (AP)Gu
Page 26 and 27: Appendix CUseful contact detailsGRO
Page 28 and 29: †CERTIFICATE FOR MARRIAGE Marriag
Page 30 and 31: Marriage by Certificate performed b
Page 32 and 33: Marriage by Certificate performed b
Page 34 and 35: Correction after discrepancy betwee
Page 36 and 37: The man discovered that the surname
Page 38 and 39: Appendix EList of an European Econo

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