Giving notice
Giving notice
High demand for appointments
As part of our seasonal planning to ensure births and deaths can be registered within the legal time limits, please be aware that notice appointments are limited over the festive season and additional appointments will be made available mid-January.
Before you can get married or enter a civil partnership in England and Wales, each person must give legal notice of intention to the registrar in the area where you live. A 'Notice of Intention' is valid for 1 year.
You must:
- book an appointment to give notice in the area where you live
- give notice at least 28 clear days* prior to the date of the marriage or civil partnership however we recommend allowing at least 31 days
- provide specific documents at your appointment to give notice at least 4 months ahead of your ceremony
It's your responsibility to organise your notice appointment.
If you or your partner are from outside the UK or Ireland, or don't have EUSS settled or pre-settled status, the Home Office may require notice to be given 70 clear days prior to the date of the marriage or civil partnership. In these circumstances, we recommend booking an appointment to give notice 4 to 6 months ahead of your ceremony.
If your notice isn't given in time, your ceremony cannot go ahead, and you'll need to reschedule.
The earliest you can give notice is 12 months prior to your ceremony.
Before booking your appointment to give notice, you must have provisionally booked your venue, date, and time.
Find out more about:
- where to give notice
- getting married abroad
- your appointment to give notice
- documents to bring to your appointment
Where to give notice
If you live in the district of York and you're 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 one or both of you live in Scotland and you're having your ceremony in England or Wales. The person living in England or Wales needs to make a notice appointment in the registration district in which you live. The person living in Scotland makes an appointment to get a Certificate of No Impediment from their local register office, as close as possible in date to the notice appointment in England and Wales. We highly recommend contacting your local register office for guidance.
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 you and your partner must be resident at the same time, for the 7-day period, before giving notice.
Please be aware, when you give your notice it's essential that the venue details are correct, so the ceremony can go ahead. If you’re having your ceremony at York Register Officer the venue will be the Bootham Suite.
Getting married abroad
Getting married abroad
If you are a British national getting a marriage or civil partnership abroad, you might need certain documents from the UK government, for example, a certificate of no impediment (CONI).
A CONI confirms there are no objections to a proposed marriage or civil partnership and can only be provided for British nationals via the register office in the district in which you live.
It is important that you consult with the local authorities in the country where you are planning to be married to find out what you need to do.
You must find out, from the authorities in the country in which you wish to marry, how long the certificate is valid for in that country as it must be valid on the day of the wedding.
These certificates vary in the length of time they are valid for, which can sometimes only be a few months. Certain countries require that certificates be no older than 2 or 3 months at the time of your wedding.
Please email registrar@york.gov.uk for further information on booking an appointment to obtain a CONI.
Your appointment to give notice
Book an appointment to give notice of marriage or civil partnership at York Register Office.
See our marriage and civil partnership fees for appointment costs.
Documents to bring to your appointment
Legal notice of intention cannot be given if you do not bring the correct documents.
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.
If your appointment to give notice cannot go ahead due to incorrect documents being provided, we may not be able to offer another appointment in time for your ceremony and you'd need to reschedule.
