Notice of civil partnership appointment
Giving notice
“Giving notice” is the process that must be completed before a legal marriage or civil partnership can take place. This process applies to all legal ceremonies held at a Register Office, or at a licensed venue such as a hotel.
The same process also applies to most religious ceremonies too - other than the Church of England. If you are having a Church of England ceremony and are both either British, Irish, or hold EU settled status, you would usually arrange this through your church.
Where to give notice
To give notice, you will need to make an appointment at the relevant Register Office and pay a notice booking fee (for appointments with us, the booking fee is subject to our terms and conditions). This will be £46.50 or £63 per person, depending on your immigration status, and will be payable at the end of this booking process - you will need to have a card to hand.
Where you will give notice is partly decided by the registration district that you live in - this is usually the same district that you pay your council tax to. Please note that Peterborough and Cambridgeshire are different districts.
If you are both British or Irish, or hold EU settled status or pre-settled status, or have right of abode, or have a forces immigration exemption
You must each give notice in the district in which you live. If you live in different districts you will give your notices separately.
If one or both of you fall under a different category
You must give notice together in the district in which one of you lives. If you live in different districts, you can choose which one you will both give notice in.
When to give notice
There must be at least 28 days between the date you give notice and the date of your ceremony. This may be extended to 70 days depending on your immigration status. You cannot give notice more than a year before your ceremony date.
Documents to bring with you
Unless otherwise stated below, please bring original documents with you - we cannot accepted photocopies or scanned copies.
If any documents are not in English we will need to see both the original and a translation made by a third party. You cannot translate your own, or each other's, documents. The translation must be certified by the translator as true and accurate, and should include the translators name, address and telephone number.
1 Proof of nationality, current name and date of birth
- British Nationals - a valid British passport, naturalisation certificate, or British birth certificate*.
- EEA Nationals - a valid EEA passport or "view and prove" sharecode.
- For other nationalities - a valid passport, travel document, Home Office biometric immigration document or "view and prove" sharecode.
*If you are providing a British birth certificate and were born in the UK after 1 January 1983, this must be the full birth certificate showing details of your parents. You will also need your mother’s pre-1983 British birth certificate. Please note that you will need to contact us to make a booking, rather than booking online.
If you are using a "view and prove" share code, this can be obtained here. When you generate the code, please select "other" as the option. Please print or make a note of the code and bring it with you – please do not email the code to us in advance of your appointment.
2 Proof of immigration status
- If you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme - you will need a valid EUSS "view and prove" share code. This can be obtained here. This is the only evidence we can accept of your EUSS status. When you generate the code, please select "other" as the option. Please print or make a note of the code and bring it with you – please do not email the code to us in advance of your appointment.
- If you have any other evidence of your immigration status - please make sure that you bring this with you to your appointment. This could be, for example, evidence of indefinite leave to remain in the UK, a marriage or civil partnership visa, right of abode or a forces immigration exemption.
3 Photographs
- If you are both UK or Irish nationals, or have EU settled status or pre-settled status, indefinite leave to remain, right of abode, or a forces immigration exemption -photographs are not required.
- Everyone else, including those with a marriage or civil partnership visa - please bring a passport-sized photograph for both of you. This applies even if the other person has a different immigration status or nationality.
4 Proof of current address
You must both provide proof of your current address. Please note that you should each use a different document as evidence. Each person should bring one of the following:
- a valid UK driving licence (full or provisional).
- a bank statement - dated no more than 1 month before giving notice.
- a utility bill - dated no more than 3 months before giving notice.
- a current tenancy agreement.
- a council tax or mortgage statement - dated no more than 12 months before giving notice.
- if you do not have one of the above documents, please contact us.
You can use a document obtained online, but this must be printed and brought in to us at your appointment.
5 Previous marriage or civil partnership
- UK, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man divorce - please bring the original decree absolute, civil partnership dissolution document, or final order. If you have only received an electronic version, please print a copy and be prepared to show us the original email to which it was attached.
- Non-UK divorce - please bring the original divorce documents in their original language and an English translation. The translation must be certified by the translator as true and accurate, and should include the translators name, address and telephone number. A non-refundable consideration fee of £55 or £83 per divorce will be payable at the appointment - please note that this fee is not a guarantee of approval. In some cases divorce documents may need to be sent to our head office for clearance.
- Death of spouse or civil partner - please bring the original of your spouse or civil partner’s death certificate. If you are not named on the death certificate as their spouse or civil partner, please also provide your marriage or civil partnership certificate. If any of these documents are not in English we will need to see both the original and an English translation. The translation must be certified by the translator as true and accurate, and should include the translators name, address and telephone number.
- Previous ceremony in another country - if you have previously been through any form of marriage or civil partnership ceremony in another country, and this has not ended by divorce or by the death of the spouse, please contact us before making your notice appointment. This includes a ceremony in another country which you believe is not legally recognised in that country, or in the UK.
If your name on any of the documents above is not the same as your current name, please provide evidence linking these names – for example, a marriage certificate, civil partnership schedule, or change of name deed.
If you have any questions about the documents that you will need to bring to your appointment, please contact us before your appointment.
If you do not have the right documents with you we may not be able to take your notices. If you then require new appointments, new notice booking fees will be charged. This may also affect the date of your ceremony.
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please let us know in advance. If you do not, your notice booking fee will not be refunded.
Finally, our notice appointments are held in offices on the first floor, and access is only by stairs. If you require a ground floor room, we would be grateful if you would let us know beforehand.
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