main content
Giving Notice of Marriage
Information if either of the parties to the marriage is a foreign national.
Eligibility
All civil and non-conformist marriage ceremonies must be preceded by civil preliminaries. This involves giving a Notice of Marriage to the Superintendent Registrar of the district where you live. Notice must be given by the prospective bride and groom in person. A notice of marriage is valid for 12 months and costs £30. This fee is non-refundable. We operate an appointment system so please telephone before calling in to give your notice.
Details
The Superintendent Registrar will ask you questions about your identity, age and freedom to marry. You will be asked to produce documents such as a birth certificate, passport or deed poll so that we can check your ages and the spelling of your names. If either of you have been married before you will need to produce a death certificate or divorce decree absolute to confirm your freedom to marry. If your divorce was granted outside the UK it may be necessary for us to submit it to the General Register Office for final verification. Other documents may be requested depending upon individual circumstances. Please bring original documents with you to the Register Office, with certified translations if applicable. Photocopies are not accepted.
In order to give notice of marriage both of you must have lived in a registration district in England or Wales for seven days immediately prior to the day on which you give notice and you must have a marriage ceremony booked. After giving notice, your application is displayed on the Register Office’s public notice board for 16 clear days, so you should allow for this length of time when planning your ceremony. For example if notice is given on 1 August the marriage can take place on or after 17 August. After this period two blue certificates, which allow you to be married, can be issued.
Cost
Each notice of marriage costs £30.00, which is a non-refundable fee.
Next steps
We operate an appointment system so please telephone before calling in to give your notice.
Alternatively you can make an appointment online to give notice of your marriage by selecting this link to Registrars online Services.
Contact
Telephone: 020 8313 4666
e-mail: registrars@bromley.gov.uk
Address: Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley BR1 3UH