There is a provision to enable a person who is housebound to marry at the place where they reside. The marriage of a housebound person may be solemnized by either civil or religious ceremony. If the marriage is to be by civil marriage, a Superintendent Registrar and Registrar must attend at the house to perform and register the marriage. If the marriage is to be a religious ceremony, other than the Church of England, a registrar will need to attend to register the marriage.
For the purposes of marriage a housebound person is considered to be a person in respect of whom a statement is made by a registered medical practitioner that, due to illness or disability, ought not to be moved from their place of residence at that time, and that the illness or disability will continue to immobilize that person for at least three months following the date of the statement. The statement by the registered medical practitioner must be made not more than 14 days prior to giving notice of intention to marry. A prescribed form for the statement is available from the Register Office.
The marriage must take place at the address named in the statement. The Superintendent Registrar will attend the housebound person to take the notice of marriage - the other party must give notice in the usual way at the Register Office in the area in which they reside. All the other legal requirements for marriage must be met.
For further and more detailed information please contact the Waltham Forest Register Office.
