Before civil marriage, most religious marriages or
the formation of a Civil Partnership, 'Notice ' must
first be given, usually at your local Register
Office.
This page has information about the process for giving Notice of
Marriage or Civil Partnership, the documents required, and the
procedure that follows giving Notice.
An appointment system is in operation. To make an
appointment to Give Notice in Weston-super-Mare or Clevedon, please
telephone us on 01934 627 552.
Process for giving Notice of Marriage or Civil
Partnership
Once you have chosen a venue for your ceremony you should make a
provisional booking there.
For all civil marriages/partnerships or for marriages in
non-conformist churches that do not have an Authorised
Person, you must also contact the register office of the
district in which the venue is situated, to book the
attendance of registars. You should do this as soon as
possible; the number of registrars is limited and failure to
book early may mean your ceremony cannot proceed at the desired
time or date.
If you are marrying in the Church of England and
banns are to be called, you will not need to contact the
registration service or give notice of marriage.
If you are having a Civil wedding (in a Register Office or other
Approved Premises) or are marrying in a non-conformist
church, you should then contact your local register
office to arrange an appointment to give Notice.
Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership must be given in
person at the Register Office of the district in which
you live.
If you are making special arrangements to become resident in a
district for the minimum qualifying period of seven days before
giving notice, perhaps because you usually live or work abroad for
example, you cannot count the day you arrive in the district
as a day of residence. For example, if you arrive on Tuesday 1
March, the seven day period starts the following day, Wednesday 2
March, and is complete on Tuesday 8 March. You can then give notice
on Wednesday 9 March. You must give Notice on the day
immediately following a qualifying period of residence. If you are
in any doubt, please confirm the exact dates with the Register
Office.
If you and your future spouse or Civil Partner live in
different registration districts, each of you must give notice
separately in your own district. Ideally you should each give
notice on the same day or within a few days of each other.
In North Somerset there are
Register
Offices in Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon. Notice must be
given at least 16 days before the marriage or partnership is
due to take place but can be given up to a year in advance.
You should make an appointment as early as you can. A
fee will be payable.
Documentation required to give Notice of Marriage or
Civil Partnership
To give Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership you need to
produce documents confirming your name, age, marital status,
nationality and address. All the required documents must be
produced at the time of giving notice. Please make sure you
have everything needed, including the appropriate
fees, before attending the Register Office.
We prefer a current valid passport or where appropriate
a Home Office travel
document, a standard acknowledgement letter or a national identity
card.
If these are not available, other documents may be
acceptable - please contact our
Registration
Service for advice.
Depending on your individual circumstances other documents may
be required.
Please note, you can only give Notice of Marriage or Civil
Partnership if you are legally free to marry or enter into a Civil
Partnership. If you have been married or in a Civil Partnership
before you need to confirm that you are free to marry again by
showing us a decree of absolute divorce or nullity bearing the
court's original stamp or the death certificate of your former
spouse or Civil Partner.
Procedure after Notice of Marriage or Civil
Partnership has been given
After giving Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership you must
wait a further 15 clear days before the ceremony can take
place.
A Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership is valid for 12 months
but only for the venue you choose at the time of giving notice.
Before giving notice you should make a provisional booking with
your chosen venue.
If you plan to marry or form a Civil Partnership in England or
Wales, outside the district where you are giving Notice, you
should check with the Register Office of the district
where the ceremony is taking place that a Registrar is
available to conduct the ceremony. You can find contact details for
all Register Offices on the
General Register
Office website.
If you plan to marry or form a Civil Partnership
abroad or if either you or your future spouse or
Partner are not British or a citizen of the
European
Economic Area (EEA) please contact our
Registration
Service for advice.
Our Registrars have a statutory duty to report any proposed
marriage or Civil Partnership which they suspect is being
arranged to evade immigration controls.
Please note, the information provided in this section is
for guidance only and is not a full expression of the
law.
For more information or to make an appointment please contact
our Registration
Service.
