Webpages in the Marriage and civil partnerships section
Give notice of a marriage or a civil partnership
Once you've booked your venue and the registrars, you need to make an appointment to 'give notice'. Giving Notice is a legal requirement where you will confirm your identity and freedom to marry/form a civil partnership.
Notice must be given at least 28 clear days before the date of the ceremony. You must give notice in the registration district where you live.
Important information
What documents do I need to bring to my appointment?
We highly recommend that you spend a few minutes completing the giving notice document checklist to be certain of what documents to bring to your appointment.
If you bring incorrect or outdated documents with you then you will be unable to give notice and will have to rebook your appointment.
Use our online checklist form (opens new window)
Since 1 July 2021, changes relating to Brexit mean that if you are not a British/Irish national you will need to provide additional information at your appointment.
Persons with EU Settlement Scheme settled or pre-settled status will be required to provide their alpha-numeric EU Settlement Scheme share code at their appointment to enable the registrars to use the online EUSS checker tool. You will need to obtain this code from the GOV.UK (opens new window) no more than 30 days prior to your appointment.
If you have a pending application for EU settlement status that was submitted before 30 June 2021 you will need to bring your Home Office Certificate of Application to your appointment. If evidencing this with a share code on GOV.UK (opens new window) you will also need to bring the email or paper-based letter sent to you by the Home Office confirming the date of your application.
When do I give notice and how do I book an appointment?
Notice must be given in person and is by appointment only. We recommend giving notice around 6-9 months before your ceremony date.
If you live in Norfolk, you can book your notice appointment online.
Book a notice of marriage appointment
Book a notice of civil partnership appointment
Please note that if your divorce was finalised outside of the British Isles we need to discuss your documents before a notice appointment can be booked. Please contact registrationenquiries@norfolk.gov.uk for advice and do not book an appointment.
If you do not give notice in enough time, then the ceremony cannot go ahead. Notice must be given 28 clear days before the date of the ceremony. If one or both of you are not a British/Irish national or do not have EU settled or pre-settled status then the 28 day notice period may be extended up to 70 clear days.
Where can I give notice?
If both you and your partner:
- Are British/Irish nationals
- Have EU Settlement Scheme settled or pre-settled status. (or a pending application for this submitted before 30th June 2021)
- Are on active duty in England or Wales with visiting Military Forces
- Have Right of Abode.
You must give notice in the registration district where you live.
If you live in Norfolk you can give notice at one of our registration offices.
If you live in England or Wales but outside of Norfolk, you'll need to contact your local registration office as the appointment must take place in the registration district that you live in. Visit registration offices on the gov.uk website (opens new window) to find your local register office.
If one, or both of you are not in any of the four categories listed above then you must give notice together in a registration district where either one of you resides. You cannot attend a registration office in Norfolk if neither of you live in Norfolk.
If you don't usually live in England or Wales you must reside here for 7 clear days before the date of notice. The date you arrive, and the date of your appointment do not count as part of the clear 7 days. For example - you arrive in Norfolk on a Sunday, your 7 clear days is the full week from Monday - Sunday, the earliest you can give notice is therefore on the following Monday.
Our ceremony date and/or venue has changed, do we need to give notice again?
If your ceremony has been rescheduled or postponed and your notice has now expired (Notice is valid for 12 months from the date given), then you will need to give notice again and the fee for giving notice will be charged.
Notice is venue specific, if you change the venue of the ceremony after giving notice, you will need to give notice and pay the fee again.
How much will giving notice cost?
In most circumstances the fee for notice will be £42 per person. If you are subject to immigration control the fee may be £57.
There is a non-refundable fee at notice of £55 or £83 for checking foreign divorce documentation. A foreign divorce is one which took place outside of the United Kingdom. Contact us if you need any advice.
Marriages or civil partnerships abroad
If you're getting married or entering into a civil partnership in Scotland or Northern Ireland Contact us for help.
If you're getting married or entering into a civil partnership outside the UK, visit the gov.uk website for help.
There is no requirement for the couple to register a legal marriage or civil partnership ceremony that took place abroad with the registration service upon their return to Norfolk.
If you need a 'certificate of no impediment' (CNI) and you live in Norfolk, we'll be able to help. Contact registration.admin@norfolk.gov.uk with your phone number, when/where your ceremony will be held and if it is a marriage or civil partnership.
Terms and conditions
If you change the venue of the ceremony after giving notice, you will need to give notice and pay the fee again. It is your responsibility to ensure that you bring all the correct documentation required to give notice.
If you can't make your appointment please Contact us to re-schedule. Please do this as soon as you can in order to free up the appointment for someone else.
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Following your notice appointment, we'd be grateful if you could spare 2-3 minutes to complete our short survey.
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