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• Before getting married

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Before getting married

Information about what you must do before getting married.

What to do

Before you can marry in a register office, approved premises, church or chapel in England or Wales (other than a Church of England where you may have banns called), you must give notice of your intention to marry.

Each person wanting to marry has to give their own notice of intention to marry to the Superintendent Registrar in the district in which they reside. Both parties must have resided in a district in England or Wales for at least 7 whole days immediately prior to giving a Notice of Marriage.

This notice will then be displayed on the public notice board for 15 days, after which, provided all documentation has been received and cleared, an authority for your marriage to proceed will be issued.

If you live in different districts, notice must be given to the Superintendent Registrar in the district where you live.

You will still be able to marry in any register office or approved premises in England or Wales irrespective of where you live, and your notice can still be taken up to one year in advance of the date of your wedding.

Coventry Register Office operates an appointment system for giving of Notice of Marriage. Please make sure you contact us well in advance of your marriage date to arrange an appointment and give time for the legal preliminaries to be completed – see our contact details below.

There is currently a charge of £30 per person to give a Notice of Marriage – you must bring this with you to your appointment in the form of cash, cheque supported by a bank card, or by credit/debit card. Your Notice cannot be taken without this payment.

When you give your Notice you will each need to bring the following documents:

• Current, valid, full passport OR
• If born before 1/1/1983 a birth certificate
• If born on or after 1/1/1983 your own full birth certificate showing your parents names AND one of your parent's (if married to each other at time of your birth) or your mother's (if not married at the time of your birth) passport or Birth Certificate. 
•  Identification showing your current names and addresses e.g. Utility bill, bank statement, driving licence, council tax bill etc;
• If you were born outside of the United Kingdom and do not hold UK Citizenship please contact us in advance to confirm what documentation will be required or click on this link to the Immigration and Nationality Department (link to external website) for further information.

The following documents are also required if applicable:

• If you have been previously married and are divorced, your Decree Absolute with the court stamp on it (if the document is in a foreign language then a translation is required)
• If you are widowed then your late wife/husband's Death Certificate.
• Change of Name Deed or Statutory Declaration
• Completed Consent Form where either party to the marriage is between 16 and 18 years old. (forms are available from the Register Office)

All of the above documents must be originals - photocopies are not acceptable.

It is your responsibility to ensure that all the above legal preliminaries are completed and to produce all of the necessary documents – failure to produce them may mean that the Notice cannot be taken and further paperwork cannot be issued.

If you have any questions regarding this process or need any further information please contact us by telephone or in person in advance of your appointment date, using the contact details at the foot of the page.

Contact Details