Congratulations on taking the decision to get married or form a civil partnership.

Once you have chosen a ceremony venue you should make a provisional booking for our attendance and we will also include and arrange the room hire if you choose to marry or form your civil partnership in the City Suite, Register Office or City Archives.

For any other Wolverhampton ceremony venue you should arrange room hire with the venue directly and then arrange for our attendance to conduct and register your civil marriage. You can do this by submitting your ‘book your registrar’ enquiry at the venues and fees page.

Once you have made a provisional booking for your ceremony you will both need to arrange an appointment to give notices of your intention to marry or form a civil partnership.

Giving notice for Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Both you and your partner are legally required to ‘give notice’ of your intent to marry or form a civil partnership.

Please see the tab below for information about the documents you and your partner will need to bring to your Notice.

The earliest you can give notice is 12 months prior to the date of the marriage or civil partnership and you must give Notice at least 30 days before the wedding / civil partnership. This waiting period may be extended to 70 days if either you or your partner are subject to Home Office immigration restrictions. We recommend giving Notice around six months before your ceremony date, if possible.

You must give Notice at the Register Office in the district where you have lived for seven full days immediately prior to you giving notice. You don’t have to attend the appointment as a couple, you could make two separate appointments, but you both must give notice.

You must both have lived in England or Wales for seven full days immediately before either of you give notice. It doesn't matter if either of you moves to a different address once you have given notice. Notice must be given at the register office in the district where you have resided for 9 days prior to your appointment.

You need to book an appointment to give notice.

Book an appointment to give marriage notice

Book an appointment to give civil partnership notice

For information about the similarities and differences between civil marriages and civil partnerships please visit Gov.uk - Marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales.

Documents for Notices of Marriage/Civil Partnership

When you give notice you must bring documents to your appointment as proof of your name, age, nationality, address, evidence of any name changes, and proof that any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended. 

If you do not bring the correct documents to your appointment your notice will not be taken. All the documents must be originals as photocopies or screenshots are not acceptable.

You need to take at least one document as proof of your name, age and nationality:

  • •    valid passport
    • If you do not have a valid passport and were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 you will need to bring your full birth certificate (one that shows your parent(s) names), and the passport or birth certificate of the parent you have gained nationality from. This is your mother, or either natural parent if they were married at the time of your birth. If your parent’s passport shows a different name to that on your full birth certificate, you should bring proof of that name change.
  • birth certificate
  • certificate of naturalisation
  • travel document
  • EEA or Swiss nationals will also be required to bring their Share Code for settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS), or their certificate of application for EUSS to prove their pre-settled or pending status.

The registrar also needs at least one document with your address on it:

  • valid UK or EEA driving licence
  • gas, water or electricity bill dated within the last 3 months
  • bank or building society statement dated within the last month
  • council tax bill dated within the last 12 months
  • mortgage statement dated within the last 12 months
  • current tenancy agreement
  • letter from your landlord confirming you live there and includes your landlord’s name, address and their signature dated within the last 7 days

Please note that we cannot accept any other documents not on this list as proof of address.

If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before, you need to provide either:

  • a decree absolute or final order. If you have had a divorce granted outside the British Isles, additional fees apply for the divorce document to be verified.  Fees are non-refundable and are payable at the notice appointment.
  • the death certificate of your former partner

If you are a ‘non-relevant national’ - this means not a British citizen, Irish citizen or have been granted European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) status you will also need to bring:

  • A passport style photograph for each of you even if only one of you is from outside the UK
  • Proof of your current immigration status (for example your visa, ARC card, share code)
  • A certified translation of any documents that are not in English

If you or your partner is a non-relevant national and you do not have a visa or you are unable to make the appropriate immigration statement, the immigration authorities at the Home Office will be notified. A hard copy of a letter granting status is not evidence of rights in the UK.

If you do not speak and understand English, you must bring an interpreter to your appointment. This must be a third person. Your partner cannot interpret for you.

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