How to Get Married in the UK

By Isabella Reynard - Immigration Barrister

18 Feb 2026

1. UK Marriage and Civil Partnership: How to Give Notice

In order to get married in the UK or enter into a civil partnership in the UK, the majority of people must give at least 29 days’ notice before your ceremony at a local register office. ‘Giving notice’ at a Registry Office essentially means that a couple gives notice of their intention to marry to each other. To do so, you must have lived in the registration district for at least 7 days prior to giving notice. 

A list of the designated Register Offices in England and Wales can be found here.

2. Immigration Status and the Requirement for a Marriage Visa

You will need a visa to enter the UK to give notice, get married or form a civil partnership unless you are a British or Irish citizen, you hold indefinite leave to remain, you have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme on or before 30 June 2021 or you are already in the UK with a visa that lasts for a period in excess of 6 months. 

If the last category applies to you, you may need to inform the Home Office that you have married or entered into a civil partnership using this form. 

3. UK Visa Options for Marriage or Civil Partnership

There are a number of visa options for people who intend to enter the UK to give notice, get married or form a civil partnership. These include:

• A Marriage or Civil Partnership Visitor Visa
• A Fiancé or Proposed Civil Partner Visa
• An Unmarried Partner Visa

Our previous article How to Get Married in the UK: Choosing the Right Visa for Marriage examines in detail the differences between these visa options. The right visa will depend upon your future plans, specific circumstances and intentions.

4. Evidence Required to Give Notice of Marriage

In order to comply with the requirements of ‘giving notice’, each member of the couple must take documents to the Registry Office that prove their name, age and nationality and also proof of their address. For instance you could provide documents such as:

• Details of your ceremony venue;
• Proof of any name changes;
• Passports or birth certificates;
• UK or Irish driving licence;
• Certificate of naturalisation;
• Bills (council tax, gas, electricity or water);
• Bank statements;
• Current tenancy agreement and letter from landlord;
• Mortgage statement.

You typically need to make an appointment with your local register office to give notice.

If you and your partner live in different registration districts, you should give notice separately.

5. Notice Periods and Home Office Reporting for UK Marriages

Once you have taken the required documents and they have been accepted, your notice will be publicly displayed in the Registry Office for 28 days. This 28-day period of waiting is applicable to anyone in the UK, regardless of nationality or immigration status. It is not possible to marry during this 28-day period.

You must then hold your ceremony within 12 months of having given notice.

Under the Immigration Act 2014, a Registry Office is required to inform the Home Office if either member of the couple is not ‘exempt’, meaning exempt from immigration control. Those exempt, for instance, include British citizens, EEA nationals or those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

The purpose of the Registry Office informing the Secretary of State of the proposed marriage is so that the Home Office is then in a position to investigate whether the marriage is a genuine one or not.

If it is decided that your marriage should be investigated, the notice period will be extended to a 70-day period. Again, it is not possible to marry within this 70-day period. It is during this 70-day period that your marriage may be investigated.

6. Risk Factors That May Trigger a Home Office Marriage Investigation

Not every marriage will be investigated. A list of risk factors exists to determine when it is appropriate to investigate a marriage where it is being assessed if the marriage is genuine or not. The following factors would be considered as reasonable grounds for further investigation:

• Whether a person is an immigration overstayer
• Whether a person entered the UK illegally
• Whether a person has been convicted of a criminal offence
• Whether a person has previously obtained leave, or sought to do so, on the basis of deception

If any of these factors (along with others published) apply to your circumstances, then the likelihood of being invited for a marriage interview increases. Our previous article A Guide to Home Office Marriage Investigations contains further details on marriage investigations carried out by the Home Office. 

7. What to Expect at a Home Office Marriage Interview

At a marriage interview, you should expect to be asked questions about your relationship with your partner such as as where you first met and how your relationship developed. You may also be asked about the following:

• the background to and subsistence of their relationship;
• their general background, family and immigration history;
• their partner’s general background, family and immigration history;
• their living arrangements;
• the arrangements for the proposed marriage or civil partnership;
• the parties’ future plans.

It is important to note that refusing to answer particular questions can be deemed as a failure to comply with the investigation.

8. Contact Our Immigration Barristers

For expert advice in relation to applying for a Marriage or Civil Partner Visitor or a Spouse Visa, contact our immigration barristers in London on 0203 617 9173 or via the enquiry form below.

9. Frequently Asked Questions