Giving notice
Giving notice
High demand for appointments to give notice of marriage or civil partnership
Please be aware we are experiencing very high demand for appointments and are prioritising appointments according to the date of the ceremony.
Once you have provided us with your details and been put on our call back list, please don't chase us as this causes additional volumes of emails and delays matters further.
To get married or enter a civil partnership in England and Wales, each person must give legal notice of intention, to the registrar in the district (county) where you live.
Legal notice of intention to marry or enter a civil partnership must be given at least 28 clear days prior to the date of the marriage or civil partnership, and you'll need to take specific documents with you to the appointment.
Where parties are not ‘relevant nationals’ (British/Irish or have EUSS settled or pre-settled status), this waiting period may be increased from 28 to 70 days by the Home Office. We recommend that if you fall into this category you book a notice appointment at least 3 months ahead of your ceremony. If your notice isn't given in time you will need to reschedule your ceremony.
Before booking your appointment to give notice with us, you must have provisionally booked your venue, date, and time.
Find out more about:
Where to give notice
The office you can attend will depend on whether you are subject to immigration control.
If you live in the district of York and are not subject to immigration control, you’ll need to give notice at York Register Office.
You're not subject to immigration control if you're:
- a British citizen
- an Irish citizen
- a person who has been granted EU Settlement Status (EUSS), either settled or pre-settled
If you live in different registration districts you must give notice in your own local office, and your notice period doesn't begin until both appointments are complete.
If you or your partner are subject to immigration control, you’ll need to give notice together in either of the registration districts you live in. Bring passport style photos for both of you and your EUSS share code if you have one.
See more information about the EUSS share code (GOV.UK).
If you live outside England or Wales and you want to marry in York, you must reside in England or Wales for 7 clear days before the date of the notice appointment. This does not include the date you arrive and the date of the notice. Both of you must be resident at the same time, for the 7-day period, before giving notice.
Please be aware that when you give your notice it is essential that the venue provided is correct so that the ceremony can go ahead. If you’re having your ceremony at our office the venue will be the Bootham Suite.
Your appointment to give notice
The earliest you can give notice is 12 months prior to your ceremony however we prioritise appointments by ceremony dates to ensure we can accommodate demand so you may be asked to contact us at a later date. Notices are valid for 1 year.
If you live in York contact us to make an appointment to give notice of your marriage or civil partnership.
We're currently only taking notice for ceremonies which are taking place in the next 3 months from the date that you contact us.
You can book an appointment Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 5.00pm.
See our marriage and civil partnership fees for appointment costs.
You'll be told which documents you must bring; notice cannot be given if you do not bring the correct documents.
If your appointment to give notice cannot go ahead due to correct documents not being provided, we may not be able to offer another appointment in time for your ceremony day, as you’re required to give 28 clear days’ notice. As a result, you may have to move your ceremony date.
Documents to bring to your appointment
All documents:
- must be certified or sealed
- must be original; photocopies are not acceptable
- must be in English or accompanied by a translation (including any stamps) that is signed with the translator's name and address
If you're under 18 years old, contact the register office in advance to ensure you can provide the correct documents.
You’ll need to bring at least 2 documents to provide evidence of:
- your name and surname, date of birth and nationality
- your place of residence
- any previous marriages or civil partnerships, a decree absolute, decree of nullity or dissolution order, or a death certificate together with a marriage or civil partnership certificate
- any foreign divorce or dissolution documents as a full translation, as well as the name and address of the translator (who cannot be your intended spouse)
- if you need an interpreter present, if one of you cannot speak English; this cannot be your partner, so it must be another person who can translate, for example a third party and the same person will also need to be a witness at the marriage or Civil Partnership Ceremony
Please note: any document which is in a foreign language must be accompanied by a complete English translation (there will be an additional fee payable for consideration of divorce or civil partnership dissolution documents obtained outside the British Isles).
Many couples bring their passport and photo driving licence to meet these requirements.
To find out more about what documents you may need to provide, please see our giving notice document checklist.
When you give your notice there is a statutory fee which is payable at the time of the appointment. Please note there is an additional fee for attending notice appointments on a Saturday.
