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Notice of Marriage and Civil Partnership

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New: You can now request a Notice of Marriage/Civil Partnership appointment by completing our appointment request form (Word, 34KB) and giving us your preferences. We will aim to confirm an appointment date for you within 24 hours.

Allow enough time to give notice

Please note that the waiting time to give Notice of Marriage in some boroughs is currently over two months. Please book your Notice of Marriage appointment now. If you are both British or European Union citizens you must give notice to the borough you have lived in for at least the last 7 clear days. If one or both of you is not a British or EEA citizen you can benefit from our low Notice of Marriage waiting times even if you do not live in the borough. Once notice is given you cannot get married for a further 16 days. Do not let a long wait for appointments spoil your special day.

Before we can marry or enter you into a civil partnership you must first give notice of your intention to marry or form a civil partnership. By law you can only get married on the 16th day or later after giving notice. Current passports and utility bills are the preferred way to show who you are when giving notice. ID cards can only be used if they clearly state a person's nationality.

Normally notice must be given to the Register Office where you have been resident for at least the last seven days. If you or your partner are subject to immigration control including Indefinite Leave to Remain we can take your notice even if you do not live in Haringey.

Information about the things we get asked the most can be found below. Feel free to contact us if you need further help.

Where will my appointment take place?

Appointments take place at the Haringey Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green, London, N22 8LE. If driving or to print out a map please use post code N22 9SB. Please arrive at least 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. We are 5 minutes away from Wood Green Underground Station on the Piccadilly Line.

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How to book your notice of marriage/civil partnership

For Haringey residents and those subject to immigration control please call us on 020 8489 2605 to make an appointment to give your notice. Alternatively contact your local Register Office. You can also request an appointment by completing the appointment request form (Word, 34KB) and emailing it to registrars@haringey.gov.uk

  • Please only use one method to book your appointment - either by using the appointment request form or calling us to avoid duplicate bookings

Appointments are available Monday to Friday and on some Saturday mornings.

If you are prepared to wait we may be able to see you without an appointment. The office is open Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 4pm. Please note that in the event all those booked in to attend appointments turn up we may not be able to see you. We strongly recommend that you make an appointment to give notice to avoid any disappointment.

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Saturday Notice Appointments

We offer Saturday Notice appointments on at least one Saturday each month. Appointments are normally opened up two to three weeks ahead. If you would like a Saturday appointment please request one within one month of the date you would like. Please note that there is an additional fee for Saturday appointments. To book please call 020 8489 2605 or complete an appointment request form (Word, 34KB)

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Alexandra Palace

What do I need to bring with me to my appointment?

You will need to bring evidence of the following to your appointment?

  • Name
  • Age
  • Nationality
  • Proof of address
  • Details of any divorce/proof of previous marriage or civil partnership being dissolved
  • Evidence of any change of name
  • Payment for your ceremony if it is taking place in Haringey, please see Register Office Fees for current charges

The easiest way to satisfy us of the above is to present your passport or government ID Card along with a recent gas, electricity, phone bill or bank statement.

Please see our Documents needed to give notice of marriage/civil partnership page for a complete list of which documents are and are not accepted.

Our Subject to immigration page also gives guidance to couple where one or both partners are not EU nationals.

Please also bring with you the notice fee and fees for any wedding or civil partnership ceremony that you wish to book. Please note that if you are late for your appointment you will need to rebook for the next available appointment which may be some time later.

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Subject to immigration control?

If you are subject to immigration control you must give your notice together as a couple to a designated Register Office. The Haringey Register Office is a Designated Register Office and we can take notices of marriage or civil partnerships regardless of where a couple live or where a ceremony will be taking place. We welcome people in genuine relationships to our office from across North London and beyond including Hertfordshire , Enfield, Islington, Camden, Barnet and Waltham Forest. You can choose to get married in Haringey or outside of the borough even if you give notice here.

Where a Registrar believes that a marriage or civil partnership is suspicious the UK Border Agency will be informed so that the matter can be investigated further. Immigration Officers attend the office daily. Penalties for procuring or facilitating a sham marriage or civil partnership are severe and range among others from Perjury to deportation.

Please see our Subject to Immigration page for more information.

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What happens when I give my notice of marriage or civil partnership?

a couple in love

The Superintendent Registrar or one of his deputies will ask both you and your partner a series of questions about each other to establish details of both parties and where and when the wedding or civil partnership is to take place. Each partner will be asked questions independently of one another.

We will ask to see proof of address such as a recent utility bill, Council Tax bill etc for each of the parties along with a document or documents to prove your nationality, name and age. Please see our Documents needed to give notice of marriage/civil partnership page for a complete list of which documents are and are not accepted.

To give notice of marriage you will need to know:

  1. the date and time of your ceremony
  2. the venue for your ceremony
  3. evidence of any divorce or previous marriage/civil partnership such as a death certificate for your former spouse.
  4. Evidence of any change of name
  5. if getting married/forming a civil partnership abroad the couple need to know as a minimum the name of the town and country where the ceremony is to take place.

If the ceremony is to take place at the Civic Suite the date of the ceremony can be confirmed on the day of the notice. If the ceremony is to take place at an approved venue or outside of the borough you will need to contact the relevant venue or Register Office to provisionally book the venue and confirm that Registrars are available to conduct the ceremony. Please note that although notices of marriage/civil partnership are normally valid for a year, the venue cannot be changed without new notices being taken.

Where one or both parties have been through a previous form of marriage or civil partnership evidence that this has now been dissolved or annulled will be needed before certificates to marry or form a civil partnership can be issued. Further documentation such as official translations of documents may also be needed.

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

If the ceremony is to take place in England and Wales your ceremony can take place on the sixteenth day after the later of the two parties gives their notice. For example a couple giving their notice on the first of the month can get married no sooner than the sixteenth of the month.

Where a couple or one of the parties is travelling abroad to get married or to form a civil partnership the couple may have to give more notice than the standard sixteen days. Please also check with the foreign consulate local requirements if getting married or forming a civil partnership abroad.

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Issuing certificates for marriage/civil partnerships

Once the necessary time periods have elapsed, satisfactory evidence of the dissolution of any previous form of marriage/civil partnership has been received and accepted by the Register Office and or General Register Office certificates for marriage and civil partnership can be issued.

If the notices were not taken by the local authority that will be conducting the ceremony the authorities for marriage should be collected from where notices were given and delivered to the Register Office whose staff will be conducting the ceremony. A ceremony cannot take place if the certificates are not received before the ceremony date.

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Cost of giving notices of marriage and civil partnerships

The cost of giving a notice for Marriage or Civil Partnership Monday to Friday is £35 per person. On Saturdays the cost is £46.50 per person which includes a £11.50 weekend notice fee. If you are planning on getting married or forming a civil partnership in Haringey please also bring with you the fee for your ceremony. Our current fees can be found on the Register Office Fees page. Notice fees are non refundable.

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Further information

The Government has issued further guidance on giving notice on the Directgov website (external link). You can also contact us by email to registrars@haringey.gov.uk or by calling 020 8489 2605.

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Attached Files

Page Last Updated: 25 February 2013

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