Get married or form a civil partnership

You must sign a legal statement at your local register office to say you intend to get married or form a civil partnership. This is known as giving notice.

You must give notice at least 29 calendar days before your ceremony. This may be longer if you're subject to immigration control.

For example, if you give notice on 1 May, the earliest date you can get married or form a civil partnership is 30 May.

You must hold your ceremony within 12 months of giving notice.

Where to give notice

You can check which is the correct local registration district where you should give notice using the postcode checker tool.

You must have lived in Essex for at least 7 whole days before giving notice. If you live in Southend or Thurrock or any London Borough, you'll need to give notice there.

The following offices in Essex offer notice appointments:

• Basildon
• Billericay
• Braintree
• Brentwood
• Chelmsford
• Colchester
• Dunmow
• Harlow
• Witham

Some foreign nationals will need to book a different type of appointment to give notice. See the information under Booking an appointment below.

Documents you'll need to bring

You must bring originals of the following documents, photocopies won’t be accepted.

Proof of identity and nationality

This can be any of the following:

• a valid passport
• your full UK birth certificate
• proof of any name changes, for example, a copy of a deed poll

If you're not bringing a valid passport and were born on or after 1 January 1983, you will need to bring additional ID. You will need to bring your full British birth certificate, as well as a full birth certificate of one of your parents born in the UK or evidence of your parent’s British citizenship or settled status valid at the time of your birth.

If your parents were born on or after January 1st 1983 you also need to bring a full birth certificate of one of your grandparents born in the UK or evidence of your grandparent's British citizenship or settled status valid at the time of your parent's birth.

If your parents or grandparents were not married then all documents must relate to your mother and / or maternal grandmother.

If your parents or grandparents were married, and you are bringing your father or grandfather’s birth certificate, you also need to bring their relevant marriage certificate.

There must be a link between the surnames shown on the certificates.

Proof of address

This can be any of the following:

• valid UK driving licence
• gas, water or electricity bill dated within 3 months of your appointment
• bank statement dated within one month of your appointment. Printed online statements must also be stamped by the issuing bank
• Council Tax bill from the last 12 months
• mortgage statement from the last 12 months
• current tenancy agreement
• letter from your landlord – this must state that you have resided at the address for the previous 7 whole days before the date you give notice, that the person providing the letter is the owner or proprietor, and state their name, address and be signed by them

If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before

If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before, you’ll also need to bring one of the following documents:

• a decree absolute or final order
• your former partner’s death certificate. If you're not named on your former partner's death certificate, you will also have to bring your former marriage or civil partnership certificate

If your documents are not in English you must bring a full translation.

Fees

There is a fee of £42 per person giving notice.

Foreign divorce for consideration locally is £55.

Foreign divorce for consideration by the General Register Office is £83.

Booking an appointment

Read the following information carefully to make sure you book the right appointment and bring the correct documents with you. Your appointment will last approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Please allow an additional 15 minutes for foreign divorce situations or appointments requiring an interpreter.

Option 1:

If both of you have one of the following, you can give notice as per the above guidance at your local register office:

• British or Irish citizenship
• settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) – each of you for whom this applies must bring a ‘share code' which you can get from the view and prove your immigration status service. When you generate the code, it is valid for 30 days. The appointment to give notice can only go ahead if you bring with you a share code that is valid on the day of the appointment.
• an application to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) that you made before 30 June 2021, which you’re waiting for a decision on – each of you for whom this applies must bring your certificate of application. The appointment cannot go ahead if you do not bring this with you.

Book an appointment to give notice

Option 2:

If you do not both fall under the categories listed under Option 1, you and your partner must give notice together at our office in Witham or Billericay. These appointments are not currently available to book online – instead, please call 0333 013 5623.

You'll also need to bring all of the following additional documentation:

• a passport-sized photo of each of you (even if only one of you is from outside the UK)
• proof of your current immigration status (for example, your visa)
• a translation of any documents that are not in English

The notice period for this type of appointment may be extended to up to 70 days if a referral to immigration is required. If this is the case there will be an additional fee of £15 per person.