Giving Notice of Marriage UK: Fees, Days, Documents

Ffion and Rhys are a couple we made up to show how giving notice works. Ffion lives in Cardiff, Rhys lives in Bristol, and they're marrying at a hotel in Monmouthshire next June. Most couples picture one appointment at the register office. Ffion and Rhys need two, one each, in two different cities, and neither can book until the hotel contract is signed.

Giving notice is the legal step before every UK marriage: you tell the registrar you intend to marry, and after a waiting period you're free to go ahead. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own rules. All three are below, with the fees councils list for 2026 to 2027.

TL;DR: Book your venue first, then give notice well before the legal minimum, which depends on where in the UK you marry.

• England and Wales: give notice at least 29 days before the wedding, at the register office for the district where you've lived for the past 7 days. £46.50 each, or £63 each if either of you isn't British or Irish and has no EU Settlement Scheme status (the Home Office referral scheme).
• Scotland: send an M10 form each to the registrar where you'll marry, at least 29 days ahead, ideally 10 to 12 weeks. £45 each.
• Northern Ireland: send a notice form each to the registrar where you'll marry, at least 28 days ahead, ideally about 8 weeks. £22 each.
• Book the venue first. In England and Wales the notice must name it.
• Notice lasts 12 months in England and Wales, so there's no reason to leave it late.

The UK notice rules side by side

Fees as of October 2026. Councils charge extra for ceremony rooms and venues, so the ceremony row is the statutory starting point.

You'll still see older figures, £35 among them, but they're out of date. St Helens Council says "From the 6th April 2026 it costs £46.50 for each notice (£93 per couple)", and Trafford, Birmingham and Ceredigion list the same.

28 or 29 days? Gov.uk says you "must give notice at least 29 days before your ceremony": give notice on 1 May and the earliest you can marry is 30 May. Only Northern Ireland's minimum is 28 days.

England and Wales, step by step

The rules come from the gov.uk guide to marriages and civil partnerships. In order:

1. Book your venue. Gov.uk says you must decide where to have your ceremony before giving notice, and the notice must include details of the final venue.
2. Check where you live. You give notice where you've lived for the past 7 days. Live in different districts, like Ffion and Rhys, and you each go to your own.
3. Book the appointment. Gov.uk says you usually need one. Ring ahead, as some offices run notice appointments on weekdays only.
4. Bring originals. See the list below.
5. Pay £46.50 each, then wait at least 29 days. You must marry within 12 months.

Documents to bring (originals, per gov.uk):

• details of your final venue
• a valid passport, or a UK birth certificate (born after 1 January 1983? bring evidence of your parents' nationality too)
• proof of address: for example a utility bill from the last 3 months, a bank statement from the last month, a council tax bill from the last 12 months, a valid UK or Irish driving licence, or a current tenancy agreement
• proof of any name change, such as a deed poll
• if you've been married or in a civil partnership before: a decree absolute, final order or death certificate

A divorce granted outside the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man has to be checked first, for £55 by the register office or £83 if the General Register Office has to look at it.

If one of you is from outside the UK or Ireland, you usually give notice together, at a register office in the district where at least one of you lives. Bring a passport-sized photo each, proof of immigration status and translations of any documents not in English. Some notices are referred to the Home Office, which can extend the notice period to 70 days, according to the government's statement on the Immigration Act 2014. If that might apply to you, give notice early.

Pro tip: Don't move house in the fortnight before your appointment. One r/UKweddings poster in September 2026, giving notice the following week, had "literally just moved to a new town today for work" and was asking for help with proof of address. Your address documents must match where you've lived for 7 days. If a move can't wait, ring the register office first.

Scotland: forms, not appointments

In Scotland you send forms to the registration office in the district where you'll marry, not where you live. That catches out couples who live in England and marry over the border.

According to National Records of Scotland, each of you completes an M10 marriage notice form, plus one celebrant and witness details form. Send them with your birth certificate, evidence of where you usually live (a utility bill no older than 3 months, for example) and a passport. Non-UK nationals add a declaration of status form.

Some offices accept emailed copies first, but the originals must arrive before the ceremony. The registrar must have your notices at least 29 days before the wedding, and NRS says 10 to 12 weeks is helpful. Notice costs £45 per person.

Scotland also lets ceremonies take place "at any indoor or outdoor location", as long as your registrar or celebrant can get there.

NRS consulted on its notice and ceremony fees until 4 October 2026, so check the £45 when you file.

Northern Ireland: the district where you marry

nidirect says both of you send a completed marriage notice form, with documents and fees, to the registrar for the council district where the wedding will take place. It costs £22 per form, and a civil ceremony by a registrar costs £36 for the solemnisation, with room hire on top.

Notice can be given any time in the 12 months before the wedding. The legal minimum is 28 days, but nidirect says notices should normally arrive about eight weeks before, or 10 weeks if either of you has been married or in a civil partnership before. Belfast City Council recommends 10 to 12 weeks for religious or humanist weddings.

Humanist and celebrant weddings: the 2026 position

In Scotland and Northern Ireland, a humanist celebrant can legally marry you. In England and Wales they can't yet.

The government consultation on reforming marriage law in England and Wales closed on 24 September 2026. Humanists UK says the government has committed to legally recognising humanist marriages, and cites the government's estimate that 50,000 couples a year would choose one. Until the law changes, couples in England or Wales who want a humanist or independent celebrant still need the legal part done separately, at a register office or approved venue. The quickest version of that is a statutory register office ceremony with two witnesses, and our breakdown of what a registry office wedding costs has the 2026 prices.

The notice timeline, nation by nation

In England and Wales we'd give notice around three months before, which leaves time to fix an out-of-date bank statement without moving the wedding. For everything else on the planning list, our 2026 wedding planning checklist and step-by-step timeline guide cover the order to do things in.

Paperwork done, now the people

Once notice is given, it's a good moment to stop saying "probably June" and start telling guests. For Ffion and Rhys, that's 80 people across Wales and the West Country who need the date, the hotel and somewhere to stay.

WhiteClover's save the date is one link you can drop into WhatsApp or an email. Guests leave their name, email and phone number as they reply, so you're not chasing cousins for contact details later, and those contacts carry through to the invitations and RSVPs. The wedding checklist keeps the notice, the ceremony booking and everything after it in order. Start your guest list once the forms are in.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to give notice of marriage in 2026? In England and Wales, £46.50 per person, or £63 per person if either of you isn't British or Irish and has no EU Settlement Scheme status (the Home Office referral scheme). In Scotland, £45 per person. In Northern Ireland, £22 per notice form. Fees as of October 2026.

How far in advance do you give notice of marriage? At least 29 days before in England, Wales and Scotland, and 28 days in Northern Ireland. Scotland's registrars suggest 10 to 12 weeks, and Northern Ireland's about 8 weeks.

Do we give notice together? In England and Wales you each give notice in the district where you live, so if you live in different districts you go separately. If one of you is from outside the UK or Ireland, you usually have to give notice together. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, you each complete your own form and both go to the registrar where you'll marry.

Is a humanist wedding legal in England? Not yet. A consultation on reforming marriage law closed on 24 September 2026, but until the law changes you need a separate legal ceremony. Humanist weddings are already legal in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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• Wedding Planning Checklist 2026: 7 Steps
• How to Plan Your Wedding Timeline
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