Giving Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership - documentation guidance for relevant nationals

Giving Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership - documentation guidance for relevant nationals

A relevant national is someone who:

  • is a British citizen; or
  • is an Irish citizen; or
  • has been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), either settled status or pre-settled status; or
  • has a pending application for EUSS status that was submitted before 30 June 2021

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 they live. The person living in Scotland makes an appointment to get a Certificate of No Impediment from their local register office, within 3 months of the ceremony and as close as possible to the date of the notice appointment in England and Wales. We highly recommend contacting your local register office for guidance.

A foreign national is an EEA national without EUSS settled status, EUSS pre- settled or pending application to the EUSS, or any other person from any other country.

Each person must give their own notice of marriage or civil partnership in person at the Register Office for the district where they have lived for at least 7 clear days immediately before giving notice.

If you're unsure which district applies to you, it is usually the local authority area to which you pay council tax.

You can give notice up to 12 months before your marriage or civil partnership date. However, the ceremony cannot take place until at least 28 clear days have passed after both notices have been given.

Please ensure you have all the required documents listed in this guidancee. Without them, we may be unable to process your Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership.

If you are unable to provide any document or have any questions, please contact us before your appointment on email: registrar@york.gov.uk.

If you're a member of the Armed Forces resident at an army camp or base in the district where you wish to give notice, in York, and you do not have a driving licence or utility bill to prove that you are resident at that York address, you must provide a letter from your Commanding Officer on forces official letterhead. This must:

  • include your full name
  • include the address you are resident at
  • include the date since which you have been resident at that address (which must be at least 8 nights or longer immediately prior to your appointment to give notice)
  • be signed by your Commanding Officer

You must also bring along your forces ID to accompany the letter.

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Please provide one of the following documents.

1. Current valid passport

If providing a current valid passport, no additional supporting documents are required to provide you name, age and nationality.

2. Full UK Birth Certificate

This should include your and your parents’ details.

Additional supporting documents

If your name has changed since birth, your evidence of current address must be in your current name and any relevant name change documents must also be brought to your appointment.

If you were born in the UK before 1 January 1983, and have not changed your name since birth, no additional supporting documents are required.

If you were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983, but before 1 July 2006 and you are producing a birth certificate, you must also produce your mother’s birth certificate (or if your mother was married to your father at the time of birth, your father’s full birth certificate is acceptable together with a copy of their marriage certificate), or evidence of either of your parents’ British citizenship or settled status at the time of your birth (for example, a birth certificate describing the relevant parent as a British citizen or indicating that he or she then had indefinite leave to enter or remain).

If you were born in the UK on or after 1 July 2006 and you are producing a birth certificate you must produce evidence of either of either of your parents’ British citizenship or settled status at the time of your birth (for example, a birth certificate describing the relevant parent as a British citizen or indicating that he or she then had indefinite leave to enter or remain).

If your parent was born on or after 1 January 1983 you must also produce their mother’s birth certificate (or if their mother was married to their father at the time of their birth, their father’s birth certificate is acceptable together with a copy of their marriage certificate), or evidence of either of their parents’ British citizenship or settled status at the time of your parent’s birth (for example, a birth certificate describing the relevant parent as a British citizen or indicating that he or she then had indefinite leave to enter or remain).

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Evidence of EUSS your status is only required if you do not have British or Irish Citizenship.

Please provide one of the following documents.

1. EUSS Share Code

Your EUSS Share Code should be obtained from GOV.UK: eVisas: access and use your online immigration status.

If you are unable to provide the relevant information or the Registrar is unable to confirm your EUSS status your appointment will not go ahead, and you will be asked to make and pay for an alternative appointment to give notice as a non-relevant national.

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Please provide one of the following documents.

If you're providing a birth certificate as evidence of name, age and nationality, and your name has changed since birth, this document must be in your current name.

The document must be in the same name of the person giving notice, or, where it is in the name of more than one person, one of them must be the person giving notice.

  1. Utility bill dated within the last 3 months.
  2. Bank or building society statement or passbook dated within the last month.
  3. Council tax bill dated within the last year.
  4. Mortgage statement dated within the last year.
  5. Current residential tenancy agreement.
  6. Current valid United Kingdom driving licence.
  7. Letter from the owner or proprietor of the property where you have been residing for at least 7 clear days plus one of the above for evidence 4.

If you have an online banking or online utility account and don’t receive paper documents, then the pdf statement or bill from your online account can be considered the “original document”. Otherwise, an original paper document must be provided.

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Please provide the following documents, if applicable.

  1. Deed Poll or Change of Name Deed.
  2. Statutory Declaration.
  3. Marriage certificate.

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Please provide the following documents, if applicable.

If you have previously been married

1. Certificate of Decree Absolute

If you are divorced, we must see your certificate of decree absolute issued by the County Court or Divorce Registry where the decree absolute was granted. If you have been issued with a digital version of your final order direct from the court, we will need to see a paper version of the final order, and you will need to show us on your telephone the email from the court to which it was attached.

If your divorce document was issued in a foreign country a consideration fee will apply at the time of your appointment. If the document is considered at the Register Office, the fee is £55.00. If the documents must be forwarded to the General Register Office to be considered the fee is £83.00. If the document is not in English, a full third-party translation must also be provided.

2. Marriage Certificate

If you have reverted to your maiden name or you are producing your birth certificate as evidence of your name, and it does not correspond with the name on your decree absolute, we will also need to see your previous marriage certificate or certificates for linkage.

3. Death Certificate of Spouse

If you are widowed, we must see the death certificate of your late wife or husband. If you're not named as spouse on the death certificate, you will also need to bring your marriage certificate.

If you have previously been in a Civil partnership

1. Civil Partnership Dissolution document

If your previous civil partnership was dissolved, please bring the dissolution document issued by the Court. If you have been issued with a digital version of your final order direct from the court, we will need to see a paper version of the final order, and you will need to show us on your telephone the email from the court to which it was attached.

2. Civil Partnership Certificate

If you have reverted to your name used prior to your civil partnership registration we will need to see your previous civil partnership certificate/s for linkage.

3. Death Certificate of partner

If your previous civil partner has died, please bring their death certificate with you. If you are not named as surviving civil partner on the death certificate, you will also need to bring your civil partnership certificate.

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There is a requirement for all marriages and civil partnerships that each person completes a minimum of 7 consecutive full days and nights within 1 registration district where they wish to give notice, immediately before giving notice.

The process for fulfilling these requirements is as follows.

Length of Stay

You must reside at an address in the registration district for 7 consecutive full days and nights prior to the day you give notice. If you own a property but do not reside there the address cannot be used or counted towards residency.

Together or separate

Both must complete the 7-day qualifying period of residence and each person completes their residency within the district where they will give notice. This does not need to be in:

  • the same district as each other
  • the district where the marriage is to take place

Where only 1 notice is given within England or Wales and the other party is in Scotland, residency is only required to be completed by the person giving notice in England or Wales and the other party would give notice in Scotland.

Overseas and Temporary Residents

If you are travelling from abroad or don't permanently live in the UK, you must establish a temporary residential address and remain there for the required consecutive days.

How to count the 7-day qualifying period

Only full days spent within a registration district can be counted. As such, the day a person arrives within the registration district and the day they give notice do not count.

For example, the timeline would be:

  1. The person arrives in registration district and commences residency on the first day of the month.
  2. The qualifying period starts on the second day of the month.
  3. They reside within the same registration for 7 full days, which takes them to the eighth day of the month.
  4. They can then give notice on the ninth day of the month.
  5. If the residency is broken at any time during the 7 days, the process needs to start again.

Required documents to confirm residency

You must provide a letter from the owner, proprietor or tenant of the property where you have been residing, which must:

  • specify the date of arrival at the property
  • confirm you have been living there for at least 7 full days immediately before the date of your appointment (excluding the day of arrival and day of giving notice)
  • confirm the owner, proprietor or tenant’s name, address and status as owner, proprietor or tenant
  • be signed and dated by the owner, proprietor or tenant on the day of the appointment to give notice
  • be supported by evidence of the owner, proprietor or tenant’s ownership or occupation of that property, which must be a council tax bill for the current year or a current tenancy agreement

Please note that we are unable to accept evidence of residency where you are staying in rented accommodation (for example Booking.com or Airbnb) as opposed to where you are actually staying with a tenant or occupier in their home or in a hotel or guest house.

If you require further assistance, contact us on email: registrar@york.gov.uk, and include a contact telephone number.

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