Giving
Giving notice means making a legal declaration that you are both free to marry or form a civil
partnership together and will require you to provide certain documents. You may do this up to
one year before the date of your wedding.
It may be possible to provisionally book staff to attend your marriage more than one year before
the wedding date. Hereford Register Office can advise on this - telephone 01432 383261.
You will need to make an appointment with the Registration Office in the district in which you live
to give notice. You must both have lived in the registration district in England or Wales for 7 clear
days immediately before the date you give notice of your marriage. It does not matter if either of
you moves to a different address once you have given notice.
The Bride and Groom must both give notice and this must be done in person at the Register
Office. In general, notice must be given in the district where you live. If both of you live in the
same district a joint appointment can be made with your local office. If you live in separate
districts then you should make individual appointments with your own local districts, if possible
around the same date.
When you give notice, the Registration
Officer will ask questions about you and
your partner. He or she will ask your
full names and addresses, your age,
whether either of you has been married
or have entered into a Civil Partnership
before, your occupations and your
nationalities.
It is necessary for you and your partner
to provide us with details of proof of
age, identity and nationality and also
evidence that you are free to marry. We
will need to see your passport or full
birth certificate as well as a document
proving your address, such as a driving
licence or recent utility bill.
If either of you has been married or in a
civil partnership before, you will need to
show it has legally ended, for example
a decree absolute or a dissolution
document. All documents must be
originals and not photocopies.
9
If you have legally changed your names,
we will need to see the Registered Deed
Poll.