Who can get married or form a civil partnership

You must apply for a visa if you’re from outside the UK and 

• you aren't a British or Irish citizen
• you don't have indefinite leave to remain in the UK
• you don't have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• you didn’t apply to the EU Settlement Scheme on or before 30 June 2021

The visa or permit you’ll need depends on where your partner is from, and if you want to live in the UK after your ceremony.

You can apply for a: 

• marriage visitor visa, if you’re not going to live in the UK and will stay less than 6 months
• family visa so you can live in the UK permanently if your partner: 
  • is a British citizen
  • has settled in the UK, or
  • has refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK
• family permit to join your family member from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein in the UK

If you don’t have a marriage visitor visa, family visa, or a family permit

You can still give notice of your intention to get married or form a civil partnership, and we’ll let the immigration authorities at the Home Office know.

The Home Office might ask you questions about you and your relationship. If this happens you may need to wait up to 70 days before getting married or forming a civil partnership.

They also might not approve your notice. Unfortunately, if this happens you can’t get married or form a civil partnership in the UK.

You’ll need to have two witnesses for your ceremony.

Your witnesses won’t need to bring anything on the day, and they can be any guest attending your ceremony. Please be aware our staff can't act as witnesses for you, so you will need to provide your own witnesses.

There’s no age limit to be a witness providing they can understand the nature and legal implications of what they are witnessing.

We can make bookings up to 2 years in advance. We’ll always do our best to accommodate your preference of time, but we can’t guarantee a specific time.