Under the provisions of the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855, a congregation may apply for their building to be registered as a place of worship by applying to the Superintendent Registrar in the district where the building is situated. This excludes churches or chapels of the Church of England, unless it shares a church building with another religious denomination.
Details
The person who acts as 'minister', 'proprietor' or 'Trustee' at the place of worship has to complete Form 76 (Form for certifying a place of meeting for religious worship under the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855). The completed Form 76 should be brought to the register office with a sketch of the floor plan identifying which rooms will be used for worship, and an average weekly timetable of how the building will be used. Please contact us to make an appointment to bring the documents to us and the fee will be taken at the appointment.
If you wish the place of worship to become a place where marriages can take place, you need to complete Form 78 (certificate and application for the registration of a place of religious worship for the solemnisation of marriage under section 41 of the Marriage Act 1949). This form requires signatures from 20 separate householders who say that the building is their usual place of worship and that they desire it to be registered for the solemnisation for marriages. Please contact us to make an appointment to bring the documents to us and the fee will be taken at the appointment.
Following changes to marriage registration law in May 2021, marriage registers and books of certificates are no longer issued to churches or registered buildings.
Cost
We will advise you of the current statutory fee for each process when you contact us.
Further information
More information is available at GOV.UK including the relevant forms which can be downloaded.