Marriages
GUIDANCE ON MARRIAGE PROCEDURES IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Introduction
This information is based on the Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 and gives general guidance on the preliminaries, solemnization and registration of marriages in Northern Ireland. It is not intended to be a complete and authoritative statement of the law, however it is hoped that the following information will be helpful in planning your marriage.
The Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 provides couples intending to marry here with the choice of either a religious wedding or a civil ceremony. The preliminaries are the same for both types of marriage.
Please note: the GRO does not provide advice regarding marriages which take place outside Northern Ireland.
Contents
1. Who can be married in Northern Ireland
4. Making Arrangements for Your Marriage Ceremony
5. Completion of the Marriage Notice Application Form.
7. How and When to Give Notice
9. Solemnization of a Civil Marriage
12. Type of Relationship within Which Marriage is Unlawful
13. Fees & General Information
14. Persons subject to immigration control
15. Marriage outside UK and ROI
1. Who can be married in Northern Ireland
Any two persons may marry in Northern Ireland provided that;
- both persons are at least 16 years of age on the day of their marriage. Anyone under 18 will need parental consent, or if appropriate an order of a court dispensing with consent;
- they are not related to each other in a way which would prevent their marrying (see list at section 12);
- they are unmarried (any previous marriage must have been ended by divorce, death or annulment);
- they are not of the same sex;
- they are capable of understanding the nature of a marriage ceremony and of consenting to marriage.
However, certain conditions apply for persons subject to immigration control (see paragraph 14 below).
2. Religious Marriage
A religious marriage may only be performed by a person (minister, priest, pastor etc.) who has been registered as an Officiant and authorized by the Registrar General to conduct religious marriages. A couple wishing to have a religious ceremony should consult with the Officiant and agree the date and venue. A religious ceremony may, with the agreement of the Officiant, take place anywhere in Northern Ireland.
3. Civil Marriage
A civil marriage may only be solemnized by the Registrar or Deputy Registrar for the District in which it is to take place. A civil ceremony may be solemnized in the Registrar’s Office or in an approved place.
4. Making Arrangements for Your Marriage Ceremony
It is important to make early arrangements for the date and time of your marriage.
- if you are having a religious ceremony, contact the Officiant who is to take the service before completing the Marriage Notice form (see section 5)
- if you are planning to have a civil ceremony you may wish to make advance arrangements with the Registrar. This is important as certain times of the year are very popular. You may also find that your choice of approved place may have limited availability.
- You should arrange for two persons, aged16 or over, to be present at your wedding to act as witnesses. This is required for both religious and civil ceremonies.
- You should be sure to let the Officiant or the Registrar know if you change your plans or decide to postpone your marriage.
5. Completion of the Marriage Notice Application Form
By law, each party to a proposed marriage is required to complete a Marriage Notice Form. These forms can also be obtained from any Registrar’s Office.
- If you are having a religious ceremony the Officiant must also complete the relevant section of each form to confirm that (s)he is willing to perform the ceremony.
- It is important to understand that by signing the notice you are making a declaration to the effect that the particulars and information given on the notice are correct. As a safeguard against bigamous marriages, a subsequent check of the information may be made by the General Register Office for Northern Ireland.
6. Documents to be produced
The following original documents will be required if the circumstances apply to you:
- The Registrar needs to see documents that prove your age, nationality and identity. If you were born in the UK, provide your full birth certificate (long version) and passport. If you were born outside the UK, provide the certified copy of your birth issued by the appropriate authority of that country and your passport or national identity card;
- if you have been married before and the marriage was dissolved, a certificate of Decree Absolute. A decree of divorce granted either in or outside of Northern Ireland must be absolute or final - a decree nisi is not acceptable;
- if you are divorced and you have retained your married name, your previous marriage certificate;
- if you are a widow or widower, the death certificate of your former spouse;
- if you and the person you are marrying are related in any of the ways listed in paragraph (b) of the notes at the end of section 13 of this leaflet, death certificates are required of the persons mentioned in footnote (b);
- if any of these documents is in a language other than English, a certified translation in English must also be provided.
Do not delay giving notice simply because you are waiting for any of the documents mentioned above to come to hand. Authorised or notarized copies may be acceptable for the purpose of giving notice, however the Registrar must see the original of any of the above documents before a marriage can take place. If time is getting short it is better to give notice first and then pass the documents to the Registrar when they become available. Provided the documents, are in order the marriage can proceed as arranged.
If you are visiting Northern Ireland (or any part of the UK) to be married and you are a citizen of a country that is not a member of the European Economic Area, you will need to enclose a copy of your marriage tourist/fiancée visa or certificate of approval (see Section 15).
Note: Photocopies of documents are not acceptable unless certified to be a true copy by the issuing authority
7. How and When to Give Notice
Both parties must submit their completed marriage notice forms, relevant documents, declarations and fees to the Registrar of Marriages in the District where the marriage is to take place, to inform the Registrar of their intention to marry. Details of the notice will be placed on public display at the Registrar’s office.
The notice forms may be submitted in person or by post to the Registrar.
Timing is important
- Notice for all marriages must be given in the twelve month period prior to the date of the marriage.
- The notices must be submitted early enough to enable the Registrar to be satisfied that both parties are free to marry one another.
- Normally notices should be with the Registrar about EIGHT weeks before the marriage but if either of you have been married before, the notices should be with the Registrar TEN weeks beforehand.
- The minimum period is fourteen days before the date of the proposed marriage, but if you leave things as late as this you could be faced with the need to postpone your marriage.
- Only in exceptional circumstances will the Registrar General authorise a marriage to take place if fourteen days notice has not been given.
At some point prior to the date of the marriage the parties may be requested to attend at the Registrar’s Office to finalise the arrangements, and/or collect the marriage schedule.
8. The Marriage Schedule
When the Registrar is satisfied there is no legal impediment to the marriage, a marriage schedule will be prepared from the information which the parties have supplied. The schedule is a most important document - no marriage can proceed without it.
Religious Ceremony
The marriage schedule will be issued to either party by the Registrar.
- The schedule cannot be issued more than fourteen days before the marriage and the Registrar will advise you when the marriage schedule can be collected.
- The schedule cannot be collected on your behalf by a relative or friend – the Registrar will issue it only to the prospective bride or bridegroom who will have to sign for it.
- The marriage schedule must be produced before the marriage ceremony to the person performing the marriage.
- Immediately after the ceremony the schedule must be signed by both parties, by the person performing the marriage and by the two witnesses. (The bride should sign in her maiden name). The schedule must be returned to the Registrar so that the marriage can be registered.
Note: The marriage schedule should be returned to the Registrar within 3 days from the date of marriage. It may be returned in person or by post.
Civil Ceremony
- The Registrar will ensure that the marriage schedule is available at the marriage ceremony for signature. Subsequently the Registrar will register the marriage.
- A fee for the civil marriage and if applicable, for the attendance of an authorized Registrar at an approved place is payable to the Registrar at the time of notice.
9. Solemnization of a Civil Marriage
The marriage ceremony may be solemnized only by a Registrar or Deputy Registrar who has been authorised by the Registrar General for that purpose.
While nothing of a religious nature may be included in the ceremony, there can be provision for the inclusion of music, poetry, exchange of rings, etc and this should be discussed with the Registrar, as should the need for any flower arrangements.
It is important that the marriage ceremony should commence on time as more than one marriage may be planned on that day.
The groom, best man (and ushers, if required) should arrive at the venue for the marriage no less than twenty minutes before the time of the ceremony. The bride and bridesmaids should arrive no less than ten minutes before the ceremony.
The Registrar will welcome everyone prior to the entrance of the bride and will give instructions regarding any video recording or photography during the ceremony. The marriage ceremony will last approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
10. Registration of Marriage
The Registrar is responsible for the registration of all marriages.
Parties marrying by religious ceremony should ensure that the schedule, (which will be signed by the parties, two witnesses and the Officiant after the ceremony) is returned to the Registrar within 3 days either in person or by post.
Note: If you do not return the marriage schedule you will be unable to obtain a certified copy of your marriage.
11. Marriage Certificate
After the marriage has been registered you can obtain a copy of the marriage certificate from the Registrar on payment of the appropriate fee. Parties who are married at a religious ceremony will not be able to obtain a marriage certificate immediately after the ceremony.
12. Type of Relationship Within Which Marriage is Unlawful
| (i) Relationships by consanguinity | |
| A man may not marry his:- | A woman may not marry her:- |
| Mother | Father |
| Daughter | Son |
| Grandmother | Grandfather |
| Granddaughter | Grandson |
| Sister | Brother |
| Aunt | Uncle |
| Niece | Nephew |
| Great-grandmother | Great-grandfather |
| Great-granddaughter | Great-grandson |
| (ii) Relationships by affinity | |
| (a) Except in the circumstances explained in note (a) below. | |
| A man may not marry his:- | A woman may not marry her:- |
| Former wife’s daughter or granddaughter | Former husband’s son or grandson |
| Father’s or grandfather’s former wife | Mother’s or grandmother’s former husband |
| (iii) Relationships by adoption | |
| A man may not marry his:- | A woman may not marry her:- |
| Adoptive mother or former adoptive mother | Adoptive father or former adoptive father |
| Adopted daughter or former adopted daughter | Adopted son or former adopted son |
Notes
(a) Parties related within the degrees listed at 2a must be 21 years of age or over at the time of the marriage and the younger party must not, before his or her 18th birthday, have lived in the same household as the other party and been treated by that person as a child of the family.
13. Fees & General Information
The fees payable are set out below.
| Notice of Marriage | £15.00 (each person) |
| Solemnization of civil marriage in Registrar's Office | |
| Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm | £25.00 |
| Monday to Friday 5.00pm to 8.00pm | £112.00 |
| Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm | £112.00 |
| Sundays, Bank Holidays and all other times (except those mentioned above) | £150.00 |
| There may be extra charges made by the local authority if a large marriage room is required | |
| Certified Copy of a Marriage Registration | £12.00 |
| If obtained at time of Registration or Entry Number supplied | £6.00 |
Objections
An objection may be lodged with a Registrar against the issue of the marriage schedule. Further guidance should be sought from the Registrar concerned.
Penalty for making false statement
A person who makes a false statement for the purpose of bringing about or preventing a marriage, is guilty of perjury and may be liable to prosecution.
14. Persons subject to immigration control
You are not subject to immigration control if you are a British citizen, an EEA (European Economic Area) or Swiss national or you hold a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode in the UK.
(For more information please visit the UK Visas website or contact your nearest British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission for advice).
However, if you are subject to immigration control, before you can give notice of marriage in Northern Ireland you must obtain either a marriage visitor’s or a fiancé’s visa or a Certificate of Approval.
A marriage visitor’s visa grants a 6 month entry clearance for the express purpose of getting married and then leaving the UK.
A fiancé’s visa is required if you are marrying a resident of the UK or where both parties to the marriage intend to reside in the UK after marriage.
To obtain either of these, contact your nearest British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission.
A Certificate of Approval may be applied for if you are already resident in the UK
To obtain an application form and more information visit the Home Office website or call the Immigration and Nationality Enquiry Bureau on 0870 606 7766, or write to:
Immigration & Nationality Directorate,
Lunar House,
40 Wellesley Road,
Croydon,
CR9 2BY.
Please note - whatever your individual circumstances, if you do not get a visa and/or certificate of approval the registrar will not be able to take your notice of marriage and you will not be able to marry in Northern Ireland.
15. Marriage outside UK and ROI
Persons living in NI and intending to marry outside the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, should check with that country’s registration service regarding their marriage requirements.
If you are required to provide a document showing that you are free to marry, you should complete a Marriage Notice Application Form in order to apply for a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry (Certificate of Non-Impediment). If you are having a religious marriage abroad you do not need to complete Section E.
This certificate will be issued after 14 days notice has been served.
Persons born in NI but not currently living here who are required to produce a document showing that you are free to marry should complete a marriage index search application form (GRO 447) and return it to the General Register Office (at the address below).
The fee for this 'search only' service is £6.00 for each five year period (or part of it) starting with the year in which the applicant became 16 years of age (the minimum legal age to marry under UK legislation).
Lodgment of foreign marriages
Although foreign marriages cannot be registered in Northern Ireland, you may wish to lodge your foreign marriage certificate with the General Register Office in order to obtain a copy of your marriage certificate in the future.
There are two ways to make a lodgement:
(a) if you are still abroad, take your marriage certificate to the British Embassy or Consular Office. Once verified, the certificate will be forwarded to the General Register Office for lodgement or
(b) on your return to Northern Ireland, you may apply for lodgement through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Consular Division, The Old Admiralty Building, The Mall, London SW1A 2PA (telephone 020 7008 1500).
(Please note - this facility is not available for marriages that take place in Commonwealth countries).
If, after reading this information, you are still in doubt, you should seek advice from any Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Northern Ireland or from:
The Marriage Section
General Register Office,
Oxford House,
49-55 Chichester Street,
Belfast
BT1 4HL
Telephone: 101 (if calling from within Northern Ireland) or 028 9151 3101 if calling from outside Northern Ireland
Fax: (028) 9025 2136
Email: groreg.nisra@dfpni.gov.uk