Do you have to give notice of marriage?

Giving notice is a legal requirement, not an optional step. It is the formal way of declaring your intention to marry and allowing the registrar to check there is no legal reason you cannot marry. Without it, your ceremony will not be legal.

In England and Wales, both partners must attend the register office in person, usually in the district where you have each lived for at least the last 7 days. If you live in different areas, you may each give notice at your own local register office. The notice is then sent to the register office where the wedding will take place.

There is one exception. If you marry in a Church of England or Church in Wales church, you do not give notice at a register office. Instead, the church reads banns on three Sundays before the wedding, or you obtain a common or special licence. The church will explain what you need.

In Scotland, each partner submits a marriage notice to the registrar for the district where the wedding will take place. You do not need to attend in person if you are not in the country, but you must follow the registrar's instructions.

In Northern Ireland, notice is given to the registrar in the district where the wedding will take place, at least 28 days before. Humanist weddings are legally binding there, so notice still applies.

If you are having a religious ceremony that is not legally binding on its own, such as a nikah in England and Wales, you will usually need a separate civil ceremony to make the marriage legal. Check GOV.UK for the current rules.