Give notice to marry or form a civil partnership

When arranging a ceremony in a register office, an approved premise or in a church (other than the Church of England) you are legally required to give notice.

You must ensure that you have sufficient time between your notice appointment and your ceremony date as there will not be appointment availability earlier than our booking system offers.

British and Irish Nationals and those with Settled or Pre-Settled Status

You and your partner must both give separate notices in person to the superintendent registrar for the district where you live.

You need to give at least 29 days notice of your marriage or civil partnership and must prove you have lived in the district for a minimum of seven full days before attending your appointment.

You must also know the name of the ceremony venue when you give your notice.

Anyone wishing to give notice must be 18 years of age by the time the schedule is issued.

Find out what you need to bring to an appointment.

Wandsworth Register Office is a designated register office.

Non-UK nationals giving notice

If one or both of you is from outside the UK You and your partner must give notice together, unless you both have one of the following:

• British or Irish citizenship
• Settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• An application to the EU Settlement Scheme that you made before 30 June 2021, which you're waiting for a decision on

You must give your notice together at a register office in the district where at least one of you lives.

Where one or both partners are subject to immigration control, Register Offices are required by law to inform the Home Office of the couple's intention to marry or form a civil partnership.

The Home Office will review each couple's case and will have new powers to extend the Notice period from 29 days to 71 days. It will be the Home Office who decide whether or not the wedding or civil partnership can proceed.

Couples who have a valid Marriage/Civil Partnership Visa, Indefinite Leave to Remain or Right of Abode in the UK will not be referred to the Home Office.

We work in close co-operation with the Home Office (Immigration) for the detection and prevention of sham marriages and civil partnerships.

Book an appointment

You can book an appointment online. We are open Monday to Friday between 9am and 3pm, and Saturdays between 9am and 3pm by appointment only. If you have any queries please call 020 8871 6120.

The online booking system will offer you the earliest available appointment time which is currently in around seven weeks. Please ensure you have booked in plenty of time to allow for the waiting period of your notices.

Find out what you need to bring to an appointment.

Read full terms and conditions.

Giving notice to marry abroad

A marriage abroad will be legally recognised in the UK providing it was contracted according to the law of the country in which it took place. There is no requirement, or facility, to register the marriage in England afterwards. We therefore suggest you consider obtaining extra marriage certificates, and translations if necessary, whilst abroad.

Find out more about getting married abroad.