Marriage notice in England: 29 days, 7 days in the district and 70 if the Home Office investigates

A wedding in England and Wales starts with paperwork. Both partners must give notice of marriage in person at a register office, and until that notice has sat for its waiting period no registrar will marry you. Here is how the timing, documents and fees work under current GOV.UK rules.

How many days before the wedding do you give notice?

GOV.UK says you must give notice at least 29 days before the ceremony: give notice on 1 May and you can marry from 30 May. In law the waiting period is 28 days, running in England and Wales from the day after the notice is entered in the marriage notice book — which is why the practical answer is 29. You can marry if you are both 18 or over, neither is already married or in a civil partnership, and you are not closely related.

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Where do you give notice, and how long must you have lived there?

You give notice by appointment at the register office covering the district where you live, and you must have lived there for the past 7 days. If you live in different districts, each goes to their own office. One rule catches mixed couples out: if one of you is from outside the UK, you must give notice together unless you both hold British or Irish status or EU Settlement Scheme status. A notice your partner gave separately before 1 July 2021 no longer counts. Anglican church weddings follow a different process, so check with the parish.

What documents do you need to give notice?

Bring originals: details of your final ceremony venue, proof of home address, proof of any name change such as a deed poll, and proof of identity, age and nationality — a valid passport or a UK birth certificate. With a UK birth certificate, if you were born after 1 January 1983, you also need evidence of your parents' nationalities, such as their birth certificates.

Address is proved with one of: a valid UK or Irish driving licence; a gas, water or electricity bill from the last 3 months; a bank or building society statement from the last month; a Council Tax bill or mortgage statement from the last 12 months; a current tenancy agreement; or a landlord's signed letter dated within the last 7 days giving their name and address. If your normal address is outside the UK, you still need a UK contact address.

What if you were married before, or are not British?

After a previous marriage or civil partnership you bring a decree absolute, a final order, or your former partner's death certificate. If the divorce, annulment or dissolution was granted outside the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, it must be checked for a separate fee: £55 at the local register office, £83 if the General Register Office does it.

Partners from outside the UK also need a passport-sized photo each, proof of current immigration status — a share code or the visa in the passport — and translations of anything not in English.

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Why can 28 days turn into 70?

This is the referral and investigation scheme. If one of you is not a relevant national and has limited or no immigration status, or does not produce specified evidence of being exempt, the registration officer must refer the marriage to the Home Office. British and Irish citizens, people with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and holders of certain visas are exempt.

Referral alone changes nothing: the period stays 28 days. But the Secretary of State may order an investigation where there are reasonable grounds to suspect a sham, and notifying the registration officer of that decision extends the notice period from 28 days to 70. The decision must be taken and notified inside the original 28 days. Duties follow: contact the Home Office by a date at least 3 working days after notice; interviews come with at least 3 working days' written notice, or 24 hours if rearranged; a phone interview may come within a 30-minute window.

Fail to comply without reasonable excuse and the Home Office can record non-compliance. The consequence is blunt: you cannot marry on that notice and must start again. Withdrawing your intention to marry counts as non-compliance too, and a final decision is taken at Higher Executive Officer grade or above. Where a sham is established, enforcement action may follow and immigration applications based on the relationship may be refused.

Do you need a visa to get married in the UK?

If you are coming only to marry and do not plan to settle, you need a Marriage Visitor visa: £135, up to six months, ceremony at a licensed venue within those six months. You cannot work, study, claim public funds, extend or switch; dependants apply separately. Irish citizens, people with settled or pre-settled status and those with a pending EU Settlement Scheme application do not need it.

How long does notice last, and what if you miss the window?

The ceremony must take place within 12 months of giving notice. If the year runs out, the venue changes, or non-compliance is recorded, you start again: fresh notice, fresh waiting period, fresh documents. Build slack into the date — 29 days is the floor for the simplest case, not a realistic plan where one partner is subject to immigration control.