Before you can have a marriage or civil partnership ceremony, you must give notice to get a marriage licence.
Last updated: 19 September 2023
Next review: 19 September 2024
Before you can have a marriage or civil partnership ceremony, you need a marriage licence.
To get a marriage licence both persons must give notice.
You must make an appointment to give notice, which will take place at either Walthamstow or Leytonstone Library.
If both of you are British or EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status, you must give notice 28 days before the ceremony. This should be in the borough that each of you live, and you do not need to attend the appointment together.
If one or both of you is a non-European Economic Area (EEA) citizen or are subject to immigration control, you must give notice at least 70 days before the ceremony. You need to give notice in the borough where you live. If you live in separate boroughs, you can both go to either borough and must attend your appointment together.
If one or both of the couple is housebound or detained in prison, we can arrange to visit you.
To give notice, couples must have:
Please note, you cannot give notice to marry or enter into a marriage or Civil Partnership ceremony if you're under 18.
If you plan to hold your marriage or civil partnership in an Approved Venue in a different borough, you should also contact the local register office for that area before you give notice, to make sure their registrar will be available to attend on the day.
We would be happy to host your marriage or civil partnership ceremony in our borough. You can find a list of venues on our website with the contact details.
If you are getting married in a Church of England, you need to notify the church of your marriage banns. You do not need to give notice at the register office. However, if you are not typically a member of the church, or are not a British or EU citizen, or is subject to immigration control, you will need to place notice.
It is recommended that you speak the vicar of that church and be advised, based on your circumstances and connection to the church, whether you will be married by banns or required to place notice to be married by schedule.
Couples must be aware of where the marriage will be taking place and have details at the time of placing a notice to marry.
At any register office in England or Wales. Does not need to be in the same register office where original civil partnership is registered.
At any time, as long as the customer meets the eligibility criteria, see Gov.UK website.
Customer can have a ceremony to symbolise the conversion at Fellowship Square or an approved venue.
You cannot convert an opposite-sex civil partnership to a marriage in England and Wales.
Fees must be paid online when you book your appointment.
There is a non-refundable booking fee for each person wishing to give notice: However, the appointment can be rescheduled.
|
Days |
Prices (per person) |
|
Monday to Saturday |
£35 |
There is an additional fee if one or both of you are subject to immigration control which is £24 in total.
Divorces that have taken place in a foreign country require clearance from the General Register Office before your ceremony can take place. Please note this fee will be payable on the day of your notice appointment:
|
Item |
Prices (per person) |
|
Divorce documents that can be cleared locally |
£50 |
|
Divorce documents sent to GRO for consideration and clearance |
£75 |
When you make your booking, you'll be asked for payment by debit or credit card. We do not accept cash.
It is important that you read the guidance prior to attending your appointment. You will be required to pay the fees again if you do not attend, produce incorrect or insufficient documents, or make changes to your booking within 24 hours before.
You must both bring the following original documents to prove your name, age and nationality:
Proof of address for each person is required. This must be one of the following:
You must both bring the following original documents:
If any of these documents are not in English, a translation of the documents will be required.
The translation must be signed by the translator with their contact details and they must certify that it is a true translation.
You must bring the following documents:
Read the GOV.UK guidance on giving notice as a foreign national.
After your appointment, your notice will be displayed in a public folder in the Register Office for 28 days.
The marriage licence will be issued to the district of where you will be getting married.
If you’re subject to immigration control, the Home Office must give clearance before the marriage licence can be issued. Once you receive your Home Office clearance letter, you should provide a copy to the register office in the borough where the ceremony is taking place, before you will be allowed to have your ceremony.
A notice of marriage or civil partnership is valid for 12 months.
If you don't have a computer or are unsure of how to book an appointment online, you can call us on 0208 496 3000 for support.
For all our services, please visit our Register Office webpage.
If you need a copy of a marriage certificate, read our copy certificate information for costs and how to apply.
To make a general enquiry to the Register Office, this can be done through My Account. You can contact us if you need a special licence for the marriage or civil partnership to take place elsewhere because one of the couple is seriously or terminally ill.
Use the GOV.UK tool to find out what you need to do to get married abroad.
