Marriages
What I need to do
Documentation required
You need to show the superintendent registrar documentary evidence of your:
- name
- age (the minimum legal age for getting married in England and Wales is 16 years of age but written consent may be required for anyone under 18 years)
- nationality (ideally in the form of your passport)
You will also be asked to provide evidence of your address and evidence of the ending of any previous marriage or civil partnership. See How to obtain a copy of a divorce or dissolution for more information.
If you are subject to immigration control, you will need to produce documentary evidence to the superintendent registrar to confirm that you satisfy the eligibility requirements.
Are you subject to immigration control?
If you are subject to immigration control you will not be able to give a notice of marriage unless:
- you have an entry clearance granted expressly for the purpose of marriage in the UK;
Entry clearance is the granting of permission to enter the UK by an Entry Clearance Officer in the British Embassy/High Commission in the person's country. It will usually be shown as a visa in the person's passport or travel document.
- Or you have the written permission of the Secretary of State to marry in the UK - this will take the form of a certificate of approval which can be obtained from the Immigration and Nationality Department;
To qualify for a certificate of approval you must normally have been granted leave to enter or remain for more than six months and three months of that leave must still remain.
- Or you fall within a class of persons specified by the Secretary of State.
This will be someone with settled status in the UK e.g. Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Further information about obtaining a certificate of approval and on the class of persons who will be exempt from these provisions is available from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, part of the Home Office website.
A person is not subject to immigration control if he or she:
- is a British citizen
- is an EEA national
- has been given the right of abode in the UK
- is a member of visiting forces from NATO and Commonwealth countries
- is a diplomat that is not subject to immigration control
Registration officers have a statutory duty to report any marriage they suspect has been arranged for the sole purpose of evading statutory immigration controls.
Visit the Immigration and Nationality Department website for more information or to find out whether you are subject to immigration control.
