If you want to get married in Swindon Registration district you must both have lived in any district in England or Wales for seven days before the date you give notice of marriage. It does not matter if either of you move to a different address after the notice has been given.

Each party of the marriage must give notice of marriage to the Superintendent Registrar in the district in which they they reside. If you both live in the same registration district, two notices have to be given. If you live in a different registration district from the person you are marrying, you must give notice of marriage at the Register Office in each district. Each party to the marriage has to give their own notice of marriage. It cannot be given by the other person. If you live in the same district, it would be helpful if you could both attend together to give your notices.

Once you have given notice, it will be displayed on the notice board for 15 days and you must wait until the 16th day before the marriage can take place. You can collect the authority (authorities) for the marriage in the district (or districts) in which the notice(s) was given as soon as the waiting period is over. The authority is the legal document which allows your marriage to take place.

You must give the authorities to the Superintendent Registrar of the district where the marriage is to take place. Each authority is valid for 12 months from the date on which the notice was given.