When giving notice of marriage or civil partnership, the Superintendent Registrar may ask you to produce certain documents for inspection.

Proof of Identity

You will need to produce proof of:

• Identity
• Marital status
• Age
• Nationality
• Proof of address

A current passport will verify your identity, age and nationality and would be acceptable by itself.

A birth certificate will verify age, but if produced alone cannot be used for purpose of identity. If you do not have a passport, please bring your birth certificate together with any of the following documents that may be available:

• Full driving licence
• Rent or council tax document
• Pay slip
• Company ID card
• Cheque book

If you were born after 01.01.83 in the United Kingdom and do not have a passport, you will need to provide a FULL birth certificate.  In addition, persons subject to Immigration Control will need to provide proof that they hold:

• Entry clearance granted for marriage
• Written permissoin of Secretary of State
• Settled status in UK

For further information, please see New Marriage Rules

Name Changes

Changes of name may have been recorded by a Deed Poll, Change of Name Deed or Statutory Declaration.

Previous Marriages

If either party has been married before and the marriage ended in divorce, a court-stamped copy of the Divorce Decree Absolute will be needed to confirm your freedom to marry. If the divorce took place in a foreign country, we will need to see a certified document issued by the country and if necessary, an English translation. Members of staff are always happy to advise on this subject.

If either party has registered their civil partnership and it has now been dissolved, a court copy of the dissolution will be required to confirm your freedom to marry.

If either party is a widow or widower, we will need to see a certified copy of your late partner's death certificate and also your marriage certificate relating to this marriage.

If those to be married have already married each other in a foreign country, you only need to get married here if you think the marriage was not legal. If you decide to marry here, we will need to see documents issued by the country when you give us notice of marriage.

For Those Under 18 Years of Age

If either party is under 18, we must see your full birth certificate and proof that your parents and/or guardians approve of the marriage. If your parents are divorced, we may also need to see any court order that gives custody to one of them, or if one is deceased, we would need to see their death certificate. The Superintendent Registrar will give you advice on this matter.

If you have problems producing these documents, please contact the Superintendent Registrar for help and advice.