Documents needed to give notice of marriage or civil partnership
Please read this page in full and call us if you do not understand anything.
There are strict rules on what can and cannot be accepted when giving Notice of Marriage / Notice of Civil Partnership. If you do not bring the correct documents to your appointment we will not be able to see you and you will need to book and pay for another appointment.
Important:
Do not book an appointment before 9am, after 4pm, or on a Saturday:
- if your immigration status is complicated
- you only have copies of documents, or if your documents have expired
- if you require an interpreter (please note that the Register Office does not provide interpreters)
If you do not follow this advice we may not be able to take your Notice(s) and any Notice fee(s) you have paid may be lost.
You must show evidence of:
- Who you are eg name, age and nationality
- Evidence of where you live
- Evidence any former marriage has ended if applicable
- Documents to show change of name if applicable
What documents do I need to bring?
If you or your partner are subject to immigration you must both provide a recent passport sized photo. Please bring evidence of your current immigration status if you can.
Evidence to prove who you are:
Please bring one of the following original documents:
| Document | Further information |
|---|---|
| A valid passport from any country | If you have a valid passport you should bring this with you. We are not allowed to accept expired passports. |
| A valid Identity Card issued by a European Union or EEA country | We can only accept ID cards issued by a country from the EU or EEA. Cards from other countries including driving licenses cannot be accepted. |
| A UK Certificate of Naturalisation | We can only accept a certificate of naturalisation of it has been issued by the United Kingdom |
| Valid Home Office Travel Document | The document must not have expired |
| Valid UK Government issued biometric immigration document | For example your current valid UK visa or entry clearance on a plastic card with your photo on it that has not expired. Unfortunately we cannot accept Home Office Application Registration Cards (ARC Cards) |
British Citizens without a passport
Any person born in the UK from 1/1/1983 is not automatically British. If you were born in the UK before 1983 you can use your valid UK Birth Certificate or UK Driving Licence to give Notice of Marriage. Expired Driving Licences cannot be accepted. If you were born on or after 1/1/1983 or if you were born outside the UK you will not be able to do this.
If you were born on or after 1/1/1983 your nationality comes from one or both parents. You will need to show us your full original UK Birth Certificate along with evidence of your parent(s) nationality at birth. This could be their passport or their birth certificates. Copies of Birth Certificates can be obtained from the Register Office where the person was born.
Evidence to prove where you live
Please bring one of the following original documents:
Please note that computer print outs of bills are accepted
| Document | Further Information |
|---|---|
| Current Council Tax Bill | This must be your most recent bill and have your name(s) on it. It must be for an address that you live at |
| A Bank Statement dated within the last month | The document must be a bank statement and not a letter from the bank. It must have a date on it and be less than 1 month old. |
| A utility bill less than 3 months old | The bill must have a date and your name(s) on it. It cannot be more than 3 months old. Bills for mobile phones cannot be accepted but bills for broadband, cable and landline telephones are OK. |
| A UK Driving Licence | The document can be paper or photo card and must show your current address. The document must not have expired. |
| Valid Tenancy Agreement | This must be for your current property and have your name on it. Please try to avoid bringing tenancy agreements as we may not always be able to take them. For example if they are very old or unsubstantial. |
| Letter from the owner or proprietor of a property | This could be a letter from your landlord and must be dated immediately before Notice is given. The letter must confirm that they are the owner or managing agent for the property and state that you have lived at the property for at least the last 9 days. They must give their address. It could also be a letter from a Hotel Manager confirming that you have been staying at the property for 9 days or more and must be dated immediately before Notice is given. They must give their address. |
If you have been married or in a civil partnership before
If you have been married or in a civil partnership before you must show that the marriage or partnership has ended. Please see the table below:
| Document | Further Information |
|---|---|
| Original UK Decree Absolute | This is the final divorce document and must be the original. You can obtain your Decree Absolute from the court that granted your divorce. |
| Overseas Divorce | This must be the original and final divorce. If the divorce is not in English you will need to provide a full 3rd party translation. You or your partner cannot do the translation. |
| Death Certificate | This must be the original death certificate and link you to your former Husband or Wife. You may need to provide the original marriage certificate to enable us to establish a link. |
| Documents confirming annulment | If a marriage has been annulled you will need to show an original document proving this. if the document is not in English you will need to provide a 3rd party translation. |
Be Prepared
Please ensure that you have the correct documentation before coming to your appointment.
You can book a Notice of Marriage / Civil Partnership appointment online. Please go to the Notice of Marriage/Civil Partnership page for further information on giving Notice of Marriage.
Please fill in our marriage enquiry form if you have general marriage enquiry or call us on 020 8489 2605.
