GUIDANCE ON MARRIAGE PROCEDURES IN NORTHERN IRELAND
(With effect from 1st January 2004)
INTRODUCTION

SECTIONS
  1. Who can be married in Northern Ireland?
  2. Who can solemnise marriages in Northern Ireland?
  3. Choice of Venue
  4. Making arrangements for the Marriage Ceremony
  5. Completion of the Marriage Notice Form
  6. Documents to be produced
  7. Interpreters
  8. How and when to give Notice of Marriage
  9. The Marriage Schedule
  10. Solemnisation of Civil Marriage
  11. Registration of Marriage
  12. Marriage Certificate
  13. Type of relationship within which Marriage is unlawful
  14. Fees and General Information
  15. Visiting Northern Ireland to be Married.

INTRODUCTION

This information is based on the Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 and gives general guidance on the preliminaries, solemnisation and registration of marriages in Northern Ireland.

The Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 provides parties intending to marry in Northern Ireland with a greater choice of venue and type of ceremony available and ensures equality as the preliminaries to a marriage are the same for everyone.

While this information should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law, it is hoped that the following information will be helpful to you in the planning of your marriage.

Under the provisions of the Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 and for the purposes of the leaflet all Ministers, Priests and Pastors, etc are referred to as “Officiants”.
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1. WHO CAN BE MARRIED IN NORTHERN IRELAND?

Any two persons, regardless of where they live, may marry in Northern Ireland provided that:
  • both persons are at least 16 years of age on the day of their marriage. Persons over16 years and under 18 years of age require parental consent;
  • they are not related to one another in a way, which would prevent their marrying (see the list at the end of this page);
  • they are unmarried (any person who has already been married must produce documentary evidence that the previous marriage has been ended by death, divorce or annulment);
  • they are not of the same sex;
  • they are capable of understanding the nature of a marriage ceremony and of consent to marry.
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2. WHO CAN SOLEMNISE MARRIAGE IN NORTHERN IRELAND?
  • Civil marriages can only be solemnised by a Registrar or Deputy Registrar of Marriages who has been authorised by the Registrar General.
  • Religious marriages can only be solemnised by a person (eg, Minister, Priest, Pastor, etc) who has been registered as an Officiant and who has been authorised by the Registrar General.
  • A temporary authorisation may be issued to allow a person who belongs to a religious body to solemnise a religious marriage.
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3. CHOICE OF VENUE

Religious Ceremony

  • It is possible for a religious marriage ceremony to take place anywhere in Northern Ireland. However, the parties should consult with the Officiant as to whether the proposed venue is a place where the Officiant is able to solemnise a marriage.
Civil Venue
  • The Ceremony may take place in a Registrar’s Office or at an approved place. A list of approved places for the area in which you wish to be married may be obtained from:-

    • the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages for that area;
    • the Marriage Section of General Register Office for Northern Ireland at the address stated on the front cover; or
    • the GRO website


  • Alternatively if you wish to apply for a temporary approval for civil marriage to be conducted at a place of your own choice, such as your own home, you should contact the Registrar for the District, in which the marriage will take place who will advise you about the fee and the application procedure.
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4. MAKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 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 notice of marriage.
  • If you are planning a civil marriage you may wish to make advance arrangements with the Registrar. This is particularly important if the ceremony is to be in a Registrar’s Office or at an approved place in towns and cities, where large numbers of people want to be married at certain times of the year.
  • You should arrange for two persons, aged 16 years or over, to be present at your marriage to act as witnesses. They are required whether it is a religious or civil ceremony.
  • You should be sure to let the Officiant or the Registrar know if you change your plans or decide to postpone your marriage.
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5. COMPLETION OF THE MARRIAGE NOTICE FORM

By law, each party to a proposed marriage is required to complete a MARRIAGE NOTICE FORM. These forms can be obtained from any of the addresses shown in Section 3.
  • 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.
  • Persons related in any of the ways listed in section 13, where marriage is allowed, will be required to sign a separate declaration form, which like the marriage notice form is obtainable from any Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Northern Ireland.
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6. DOCUMENTS TO BE PRODUCED

The following original documents will be required if the circumstances apply to you: –
  • your passport and/or birth certificate;
  • 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. If time is getting short it is better to give notice first and then pass the documents to the Registrar when they become available but they must be made available to the Registrar before the marriage. 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/fiancee 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.
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7. INTERPRETERS

The onus is on the parties to provide an interpreter who will be required to sign a declaration to the effect that s(he) is able to understand the language in respect of which s(he) is to act as an interpreter at the marriage ceremony. After the ceremony s(he) must give the person solemnising the marriage a certificate written in English and signed by the interpreter that s(he) has faithfully acted as interpreter at the marriage ceremony.
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8. 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.

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.
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9. 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.
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10. SOLEMNISATION OF CIVIL MARRIAGE

The marriage ceremony may be solemnised 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.
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11. 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.
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12. 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.
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13. TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP WITHIN WHICH MARRIAGE IS UNLAWFUL

(i) Relationships by consanguinity
A man may not marry his:- A woman may not marry her:-
MotherFather
DaughterSon
GrandmotherGrandfather
GranddaughterGrandson
SisterBrother
AuntUncle
NieceNephew
Great-grandmotherGreat-grandfather
Great-granddaughterGreat-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.
  
(b) Except in the circumstances explained in note (b) below.
A man may not marry his:- A woman may not marry her:-
Former wife’s mother.Former husband’s father.
Son’s former wife.Daughter’s former husband.
  
(iii) Relationships by adoption
A man may not marry his:- A woman may not marry her:-
Adoptive mother or former adoptive motherAdoptive father or former adoptive father.
Adopted daughter or former adopted daughterAdopted 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.

b)Parties related within the degrees listed at 2b must be 21 years of age or over at the time of the marriage and the family members involved in creating the in-law relationship must both be deceased, eg for a man to marry his daughter-in-law, both his son and his son’s mother (usually but not always his wife) would require to be deceased.
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14. FEES & GENERAL INFORMATION

Fees
The fees payable are set out below.

Notice of Marriage

 £15.00 (each person)
Solemnisation 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


    Minors
    Written consent on a prescribed form (normally completed by both parents), or if appropriate an order of a court dispensing with consent, is needed for the marriage of anyone under eighteen years of age, irrespective of where the minor lives or what type of marriage ceremony is to be held. Consent forms may be obtained from the Registrar.

    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.

    Witnesses
    The parties must arrange for two witnesses to be present at the marriage and to sign the marriage schedule. Witnesses must be 16 years of age or over.

    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.

    15. VISITING NORTHERN IRELAND TO BE MARRIED.

    From 1 February 2005 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 apply for a visa before you travel. If you do not get a visa the registrar will not be able to take your notice of marriage and you will not be able to marry in Northern Ireland. Obtaining a visa should be straight forward.

    For more information visit the UK Visas website at:-

    http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/guidance and click on "Visitors"

    or contact your nearest British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission for advice.

    If you are already in the UK, and you are a citizen of a country that is not a member of the European Economic Area, you will need the approval of the Home Secretary to be married here. This will be provided in the form of a certificate of approval.

    For more information visit the Home Office website at :-

    http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/applying/generalcaseworking/marriageorregisteringcivilpartne

    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.


    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: (028) 9025 2036/37
    Fax: (028) 9025 2136
    Email:groreg.nisra@dfpni.gov.uk
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