Any single person over the age of 16 can marry in Britain. In England or Wales, you have to meet certain statutory residency requirements, which generally means living for at least 15 days prior in the district or parish where the marriage is to take place. In Scotland, there are no such requirements.

Recently there has been a change in law regarding places to marry, and now you can tie the knot in a castle, a stately home, hotel and a whole range of unusual venues, although not in a private home or in the open air. This does not include Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, but you can marry in The Royal Pavilion in Brighton, London Zoo, The Roman Pump Room in Bath or at Chelsea Football Stadium!

Persons wishing to marry in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, regardless of the country in which they are citizens or residents, are subject to specific legal regulations.

England and Wales

General Requirements:

Two unmarried people of opposite sex who are at least 18 years of age are free to marry, provided they are not closely related members of the same family. Persons between the ages of 16 and 18 may marry under the same conditions, but with the written consent of their parents or legal guardians. If the parents or guardians are overseas, a notary or consular officer should witness their signatures.

When notifying a religious or civil authority of intent to marry, proof of identity is required in the form of a passport or birth certificate. Those who have been previously married will be required to produce documentary evidence of the death of their former spouse or of the dissolution of the marriage, in the form of a certified (NOTE: notarized by a lawyer or notary public) copy of a death certificate or divorce decree. If any of these documents is written in a foreign language, certified English translations will need to be provided.

A marriage ceremony may be performed in a place of religious worship, a register office, or public premises that have been registered for marriages by the Registrar General of England and Wales. Civil marriages may, therefore, occur in stately homes, castles, civic buildings or hotels (but not in open-air venues) which have been officially registered for this purpose. Lists of such premises can be purchased from:

Office for National Statistics
Local Services, P.O. Box 56
Southport PR8 2GL
Tel: (151) 471 4817

Civil Ceremonies:

Extensive guidance on civil ceremonies is available on the Office for National Statistics web site at http://www.statistics.gov.uk.

Church of England Ceremonies:

Information on marriage in the Church of England is available on the Church of England web site. Additional information is available from:

Church of England
Enquiry Centre
Church House
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3NZ
England
Tel: (20) 7222 9011

Other Reliigious Ceremonies:

Catholic Marriage Care Limited:
1 Blythe Mews
Blythe Road
London NW3 0NW
Tel: (20) 7371-1341
Fax: (20) 7371-4921

Jewish Marriage Council:
23 Ravenshurst Avenue
London, NW1 4EL
United Kingdom
Tel: (20) 8203-6311
Fax: (20) 8203-8727

Scotland:

General Register Office for Scotland
New Register House
Edinburgh EH1 3YT
Scotland
Tel: (131) 314 4447
Fax: (131) 314 4400
E-Mail: marriage@gro-scotland.gov.uk

Northern Ireland:

Parental consent is required for persons under 18 years of age who wish to marry in Northern Ireland. For civil marriages, prior residence is required on the part of both parties. After notice has been given to the registrar, there is an additional waiting period after which the registrar may issue authority for the marriage. In certain religious marriages, it may not be necessary to serve notice on a registrar, but a period of residency may be necessary. In addition to providing original or certified birth certificates and original or certified documentation of the death of a former spouse or the dissolution or annulment of a marriage, marriages involving a person from abroad require that an official travel or identity document be provided for that person. Further information is available from:

General Register Office
Oxford House
49-55 Chichester Street
Belfast, BT1 4HL
Northern Ireland
Tel: (28) 9025 2021
E-Mail: gro.nisra@dfpni.gov.uk

Please note: All overseas residents wishing to be married in Britain are warned against marriage agents who claim the ability to procure marriages quickly without meeting the necessary residency requirements. It is not legally possible to achieve this. In addition, any person making a false statement as to residence or any other particular contained in a notice of marriage is liable to prosecution for perjury.