Giving Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership at Richmond Register Office
It is a legal requirement that each party in a proposed marriage or civil partnership gives their notice prior to the ceremony / formation taking place.
You must both give notice in person, no-one else can do it on your behalf, and you will have to produce documents and give personal information to the registrar in order for the legal notice to be completed. You must also name the venue where your ceremony will take place. Your notices are valid only for the venue shown: if you change your mind about where your ceremony will take place after you have completed your notices, you will have to give fresh notices naming the new venue and pay the statutory fees again.
The law requires notice to be given in the district where you live, regardless of where you plan to be married / enter into a civil partnership (unless either of you is subject to immigration control). Notice can be given up to a year in advance of the ceremony date.
Book an appointment to give notice.
If you are subject to immigration control (non European)
If either of you is subject to immigration control, then both of you must give notice at a designated register office, which may not be in your district of residence.
Richmond upon Thames Register Office is not a designated office. Although you cannot give notice at Richmond Register Office if you are subject to immigration control, you can choose to have your ceremony at Richmond Register Office or any other licensed venue in the borough.
You are only required to give notice once and when you have both given notice at a designated register office, you do not need to make a further appointment in Richmond regardless of being a resident here.
A list of designated register offices can be found on the marriage and civil partnerships section of the GOV.UK website.
Please note that if you have an “Indefinite leave to remain” stamp in your passport, you are still subject to immigration control and will need to give notice at a designated register office.
If you are being married in a Church of England or Church of Wales church, speak to the vicar about getting banns called - you do not usually have to give notice at a register office.
Marriage or civil partnership overseas
If you are being married or entering into a civil partnership outside of England and Wales, different rules apply depending on the country where your ceremony will be held.
Please contact us with information regarding your nationalities, places of residence, the country of your ceremony and your ceremony date, and we will advise you whether you will need to give notice and the required timescales.
Documents needed to give notice
Please note that all documents must be originals – photocopies will not be acceptable, and if any documents are in a foreign language you must provide a translated copy. Notice cannot be taken if you cannot produce your documents.
| Evidence required | Acceptable documents |
|---|---|
| Name, age and nationality | Current passport. If your current passport is not available, your birth certificate can be accepted if you were born before 31/12/1982 and can also produce photo ID. If you have been known by any other names during your lifetime, you must provide evidence of your name change and your original name eg, deed poll document, full birth certificate. If you were born after 1/1/1983, you will need to provide evidence of your parents' nationalities (their birth certificate), along with your own full birth certificate, which shows your parents' details and photo ID. If you or your partner are under 16 years of age, or between the ages of 16 - 18 - please contact the Register Office to obtain the form that will need to be completed to obtain parental consent. |
| Condition or marital status | Divorce or Dissolution granted within England and Wales A top stamped court copy of your decree absolute or civil partnership dissolution: a photocopy or decree nisi is not acceptable. To find out more about obtaining your decree absolute/civil partnership dissolution visit GOV.UK. Divorce or Dissolution granted outside England and Wales The final decree or order granted by the court, showing original stamps or annotations. Photocopied documents are not acceptable. You will be required to provide a translation of your documents; these can be made by an independent third party, but not by the couple themselves. The translator must be able to state that they have been able to provide a full translation (including any stamps on the document), certify that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document, and provide their name and address. It will also be necessary for further investigations to be made to verify your documents, which could take some time to complete. If you choose to make a booking, or any other arrangements for your ceremony, before your documents have been verified (once you have given notice), please note that neither the Register Office, nor the General Register Office, would accept liability if the ceremony could not go ahead, because it has not been possible to verify your documents. Death Certificate Your late spouse or civil partner’s death certificate, together with your original marriage/civil partnership certificate. |
| Current address | Council Tax statement, Driving Licence, or other utility bill or bank statement dated within the last 3 months |
| Venue details | If you are being married or entering into a civil partnership in a venue/church outside London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, you must produce either:
This is so that we can ensure the correct details for the place of marriage / civil partnership are entered onto the notice, in order to ensure that your ceremony can proceed as planned. |
After you have given notice
After notice has been given, it is a legal requirement that the notice is displayed on the public notice board in the Register Office. The law also requires a statutory waiting period of at least 17 days before a ceremony can take place in England and Wales. There needs to be at least 17 days between the date of your notice appointment and the date of your ceremony. If the 17th day falls on a weekend / bank holiday, relevant paperwork should be available on the next working day; however, it may not be available until the second working day. You must ensure that you leave sufficient time between giving notice and the ceremony date.
If either of you have a divorce or dissolution that was granted outside of England and Wales it may be necessary for further investigations to be made to verify your documents, which could take some time to complete. The authorities cannot be issued until permission has been given by the General Register Office. If you choose to make a booking, or any other arrangements for your ceremony, before your documents have been verified (once you have given notice), please note that neither the Register Office, nor the General Register Office, would accept liability if the ceremony could not go ahead, because it has not been possible to verify your documents.
If you are getting married in the borough and either of you have given notice elsewhere you will need to collect your 'Certificate for Marriage' from the office you that each of you attended.
You will then need to ensure that we receive these documents before the date of marriage. The marriage will not be able to take place without both of these documents.
If you gave your notice /s at Richmond upon Thames Register Office we will have responsibility for issuing your "Certificates for Marriage" and therefore you will not have to collect / deliver them to us.
If you are having a civil partnership, the district where your formation / ceremony is taking place will be able to retrieve the relevant documentation from the online system.
Cost of notice
The statutory fee for giving notice must be paid at your appointment.