Giving notice of marriage: when, where and what to bring
Every civil wedding in England and Wales, and most religious ones, needs notice of marriage. It's a short appointment at the register office, but it has a fixed window: give it too early and it runs out, too late and the wedding can't go ahead. Here's when to give it, what to bring and what it costs.
In England and Wales, you give notice in person at your local register office, at least 29 days before the wedding and within the 12 months before it. Choose your venue first, book the appointment early, and bring your passport, proof of address and venue details. It costs £46.50 each. Church of England weddings usually have banns read instead.
When to give notice: the 29-day rule
Notice has a window. You must give it at least 29 days before the wedding, and the wedding must then take place within 12 months. So with more than a year to go it's too early, and with fewer than 29 days to go it's too late. GOV.UK's example: give notice on 1 May, and the earliest you can marry is 30 May.
Choose your venue first. The notice names the final venue for your ceremony, so it can't be given until that's settled.
| When | Where that leaves you | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| More than 12 months before | Too early to give notice | Book your venue, and your registrar or officiant. |
| Within 12 months, venue confirmed | You can give notice | Book your notice appointment, as register offices get busy. |
| A few months before | A comfortable time to give notice | It leaves time to sort out a missing document or wait for an appointment. |
| 29 days before | The latest you can give notice | Leave it this late and any problem with a document could move your date. |
If either of you is from outside the UK or Ireland, allow longer. If the Home Office asks questions about your relationship, you could wait up to 70 days to marry. More on this below.
Where and how you give notice
In England and Wales, you give notice in person, by appointment, at the register office for the district where you live. That's your local office, which may not be the one in the area where you're getting married. You must have lived in that registration district for the past 7 days.
Book the appointment with your council. If the two of you live in different districts, you each give notice at your own local register office, and you don't have to go on the same day. At the appointment, you sign a legal statement saying you intend to marry.
What to bring to your appointment
Bring originals, not copies. Your council's own list may ask for more, so check it when you book. GOV.UK asks for:
Details of your venue
The final venue for your ceremony. The notice names it, so choose it before you go.
A valid passport or UK birth certificate
If you bring a UK birth certificate and were born after 1 January 1983, you also need evidence of your parents' nationalities, such as their birth certificates.
Proof of your home address
One of: a UK or Irish driving licence, a gas, water or electricity bill from the last 3 months, a bank or building society statement from the last month, a Council Tax bill or mortgage statement from the last 12 months, a current tenancy agreement, or a letter from your landlord dated within the last 7 days.
Proof of any name change
For example, a deed poll.
If you've been married or in a civil partnership before
Your decree absolute or final order, or your former partner's death certificate. A divorce granted outside the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man has to be checked first, for a fee.
If either of you is from outside the UK
A passport-sized photo for each of you, proof of your immigration status (such as a share code) and a translation of any document that isn't in English.
What giving notice costs
Giving notice is one of the smaller wedding costs, but it's per person, so budget for both of you.
| Fee | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Giving notice | £46.50 each (£93 for a couple) | From April 2026. Some councils charge more for Saturday appointments. |
| Notice referred to the Home Office | £63 each | Instead of £46.50, if your notice is referred. |
| Checking a divorce from abroad | £55 | £83 if the General Register Office does the check. |
| Registrar at a register office ceremony | £62 | For the simplest register office ceremony. Councils set their own prices for other rooms and approved venues. |
| Registrar at a religious building | £114.50 | Only if the venue doesn't have its own authorised person. |
Prices from GOV.UK and council websites, checked on 1 October 2026. Your council's website has its current prices.
What happens after you give notice
Your notice is displayed publicly for 28 days. After that, the register office issues the paperwork that lets the wedding go ahead.
On the day, you sign the marriage schedule with your two witnesses and the registrar, or the authorised person at a religious ceremony. The signed schedule goes to the register office, the marriage is added to the register, and you can then order your marriage certificate.
If your venue changes after you've given notice, tell the register office straight away, as you may need to give notice again.
Church of England and Church in Wales weddings
Anglican weddings usually don't need a register office notice. Instead, banns are read in church on three Sundays in the three months before the wedding, in the parish where each of you lives and in the church where you're marrying, if that's different. Your vicar arranges it, and the Church of England suggests sorting it out about four months before the wedding. Church in Wales weddings work in a similar way, so ask your vicar.
Banns aren't always enough. If either of you isn't a British or Irish citizen, or one of you lives outside England and Wales, you may need a licence or a register office notice instead, so raise it with your vicar early. Same-sex couples can't marry in an Anglican church.
Weddings in other religious buildings go through the register office notice described above.
If one of you is from outside the UK or Ireland
You must give notice together, at a register office in a district where at least one of you lives, unless you both have British or Irish citizenship, or settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
You may need a visa to give notice and to marry in the UK, and you can't give notice on a Standard Visitor visa. If the Home Office asks questions about your relationship, you could wait up to 70 days to marry, and the notice fee is £63 each. Read GOV.UK's guidance before you book anything, and give yourselves plenty of time.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The rules are different in the rest of the UK. The biggest difference: you give notice to the registrar where you're getting married, not where you live.
Scotland
- Each of you completes a marriage notice form (M10).
- Send it to the registrar for the district where the wedding will take place.
- It must arrive at least 29 days before the wedding.
- Forms and guidance: National Records of Scotland and your council's registration service.
Northern Ireland
- Each of you completes a marriage notice form. It costs £22 per form.
- Send it with your documents to the registrar for the council district where you'll marry, in person or by post.
- At least 28 days before, but NI Direct advises about eight weeks, or ten if either of you has been married or in a civil partnership before.
- Notice must be given within the 12 months before the wedding.
Common questions
How far in advance do you have to give notice of marriage?
In England and Wales, at least 29 days before the wedding, and the wedding must then take place within 12 months. Giving notice a few months ahead leaves time to sort out a missing document. If either of you is from outside the UK or Ireland, allow longer, as the wait can be up to 70 days.
How much does it cost to give notice of marriage?
In England and Wales it's £46.50 each, so £93 for a couple, from April 2026. It's £63 each if your notice is referred to the Home Office, and some councils charge more for Saturday appointments. In Northern Ireland it's £22 per notice form.
What documents do you need to give notice of marriage?
Originals of your passport or UK birth certificate, proof of your home address, proof of any name change and the details of your final venue. If you've been married or in a civil partnership before, also bring your decree absolute or final order, or your former partner's death certificate.
Do you both have to go to give notice of marriage?
You each give notice. If you live in different districts, you each go to your own local register office, and not necessarily on the same day. If one of you is from outside the UK or Ireland and doesn't have settled or pre-settled status, you must give notice together.
How long is notice of marriage valid?
Twelve months. In England and Wales, the wedding must take place within 12 months of giving notice, at the venue named in it.
Can you give notice of marriage online?
No, not in England and Wales. You give notice in person at an appointment, though you book the appointment with your council first.
Do you need to give notice for a church wedding?
Not usually for a Church of England or Church in Wales wedding, where banns are read instead. Your vicar will tell you if you need a licence or a register office notice, for example if either of you isn't a British or Irish citizen. Weddings in other religious buildings need notice at the register office.
