Overview
You and your partner are legally required to attend an interview in person to give notice of your intention to marry or enter into a civil partnership. You must do this before your ceremony. This interview will take place in the register office in the borough you live in.
You must be at least 18 years old to marry or enter into a civil partnership, or give notice to do so.
Making your appointment
Notice appointments are usually fully booked for up to 6 weeks.
If you or your partner are subject to immigration control, there must be at least 78 days between your notice appointment and ceremony.
If neither of you are subject to immigration control, there must be at least 28 days between your notice appointment and ceremony.
The notice is valid for one year.
To make an appointment to give notice, call the contact centre on 0208 921 5015.
Costs
It costs £114 if you or your partner are not a British national and you do not have:
- Indefinite Leave to Remain
- pre-settled or settled status
- or a marriage or civil partnership visa
It costs £84 for everyone else.
Information you will need for the appointment
You must know the licenced venue you are going to book. You must also know whether you want to have a marriage or civil partnership.
The notice is only valid for the specific venue and ceremony recorded at your appointment. If you change your mind about your venue or ceremony type after you have given notice, you must give notice again.
See our list of licenced venues in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
You must both provide proof of the following:
- name
- date of birth
- address
- nationality
- if you have previously changed your name, you must provide proof of the change of name
If you or your partner are subject to immigration control, you must provide passport-quality photographs for both parties, even if you have a visa for the purpose of marriage or civil partnership.
If you attend your appointment and you do not have all the required documentation, or we cannot take your notice for any reason, including not knowing where your ceremony will take place, we have the right to cancel your appointment and you will not be refunded. You will then need to re-book your notice and pay the required fee.
Freedom to marry/enter a civil partnership if you have been previously married or in a civil partnership.
You will need your original final divorce or dissolution papers with the court's original stamp.
If any documents are not in English, you must provide a complete translation, including any court stamps and the original documents. The translation must be signed and dated by the person providing the translation and include their contact details. Any third party can provide the translation.
There are costs paid to the General Register Office, for the clearance of some divorce or dissolution documents; you will pay any relevant costs at your notice appointment.
Costs for divorce or dissolution documents
For a dissolution or divorce which took place in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, there is no cost.
For dissolution or divorce which took place anywhere else, there is a fee of £55 for the register office to check your documents or £83 if the General Register Office needs to check them.
We will tell you at your notice appointment which fee applies to the dissolution or divorce documents you present.