Giving your notice of marriage
By law, before you can get married, you must both give your notice of marriage. You must do this in person and you cannot ask someone else to do it for you. If you are both British Citizens or European Union nationals (see below) you must give your notice to the superintendent registrar in the district where you live (except where you are getting married in a Church of England or Church of Wales).
You must have lived in the same district ie Leeds for at least eight days before you can give your notice.
If you both live in the same district you must both give your notice at the same office. If you live in different registration districts you must give notice separately in your own area.
If you are a foreign national or are marrying a foreign national from outside the European Union you must give your notice in a district which has been designated for that purpose. Leeds is a designated district.
To give notice in Leeds you will need to make an appointment. Please ring (0113) 2224408. You will need to pay the notice fee (£33.50 per person) when you book your appointment. Please ensure that you have a debit/credit card available. If you do not turn up for your appointment we cannot refund your notice fee. We will only reimburse your fee if you cancel or re-arrange your appointment more than 48 hours before your appointment time.
Once you have given your notice it does not matter if either of you moves to a different address. A notice of marriage lasts for 12 months although we advise that you give your notice as soon as possible.
You must get married at the place named on your marriage notice. Whilst it may be possible to change the date or time of your wedding (provided it is before the expiry date), if you want to get married somewhere else you will need to give a new notice.
After you give notice you have to wait at least 15 clear days before you can get married (for example if a notice was given on the 5 December, you can get married on or after 21 December.)
Advance Ceremony Payments
Ceremony fees for all ceremonies booked after 16 January 2012 must be paid in advance of the ceremony.
You can pay your ceremony fee at the time of booking your notice appointment, when you arrive for your appointment, or at a later date.
The latest date by which you will be able to pay is 2 months before the day of your ceremony.
Where you book a ceremony which is within 2 months you must pay the fee when you book your appointment.
We would prefer to receive your payment by telephone (by credit/debit card – please ring 0113 2224408 – but if you wish to pay by cheque please send it, along with your ceremony details to:
The ceremonies co-ordinator
Leeds Register Office
Leeds Town Hall
The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AD
We will refund your ceremony fee if you cancel your ceremony.
Provisional ceremony bookings
You can make a provisional booking to secure your preferred date and time for your ceremony. Please ring (0113) 2224408. You will need to pay a non-returnable administration fee of £20. If you are booking more than one year in advance you will need to make arrangements to give your notice at the appropriate time to confirm the booking. When you make your booking we will agree a date with you by when you should give notice.
What documents will we need?
You will need to prove your name, age, nationality, address and, if you have been married before your marital status.
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Name, age and nationality - a passport, Home Office travel document or a birth certificate. If you were born after 1 January 1983 and cannot produce a passport, you must also provide one of your parents’ full birth certificate or passport in addition to your own certificate. If presenting a birth certificate you will need to provide further evidence of your identity eg a driving licence, ID card or bank statement.If you were born abroad and are not a British citizen a national identity card or driving licence issued by the authorities of your country may be acceptable. It must show your photograph and if it is not in English you should provide a translation. A deed poll or any statutory declaration documents if you have changed your name.
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Address - driving licence or utility bill/bank statement showing your current address (dated within the last 3 months).
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Marital status - If either of you has been married before, either in this country or abroad, and is now divorced, you will need to show proof of your divorce. If you divorced in England or Wales this will be a court stamped copy of the decree absolute. If you were divorced anywhere else you will need to produce the original document issued by that country and an English translation, if appropriate. In the case of a lady presenting a divorce document, if the name on the divorce decree absolute does not match the name on the proof of identity we will need to see the relevant previous marriage certificate(s).
- If your former spouse has died you will need to show us a certified copy of your late husband's or wife's death certificate (and an English translation if the certificate is in a foreign language). If you have already married each other in a foreign country, you only need to marry again in this country if you think that the marriage is not legally recognised in the country where you were married. If you decide to marry here, you will need to provide any documents relating to the marriage when you give your notice. If either of you is not British, you should contact your embassy or similar authority for advice. Marriage in this country, and even to a British citizen, gives no automatic right to remain here.
What to do if you are under 18
The minimum age for marriage in this country is 16 years. If either of you is aged 16 or 17 you will need to provide proof of consent to your marriage- either from parent(s), guardian(s) or the court(s). Please contact us for advice.
Member states of the European Union
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden or Switzerland.
Provisional ceremony bookings
You can make provisional booking to secure your preferred date and time for your ceremony appointment. Please ring (0113) 2224408. You will need to pay a booking administration fee (£20).