Celebrate Your Ceremony in Richmond upon Thames | Page 11

ARE YOU FROM OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN
UNION OR SUBJECT TO IMMIGRATION
CONTROL?
You are not subject to immigration control if
you:
• are a British Citizen
•a
 re a national of a country within the EEA
(European Economic Area)
•h
 ave in your passport a certificate showing that
you have Right of Abode in the UK (Please note
that if you have ‘Indefinite leave to remain’, you
are still subject to immigration control and will
need to give notice at a designated Register
Office).
If one or both of you is subject to Immigration
Control, then both of you must give notice at a
Designated Register Office, which may not be in
your district of residence. Richmond upon Thames
Register Office is not a designated office.
Although you cannot give notice at Richmond
Register Office if you are subject to immigration
control, you can still choose to have your ceremony
at Richmond Register Office or any other licensed
venue in the borough.
A list of designated Register Offices is on the
marriage and civil partnerships section of
the Directgov website. Additional fees and
documentary requirements apply when giving
notice under this procedure – the Register Office
where you give your notice can advise you.
DOCUMENTS YOU WILL NEED TO PRODUCE
You will need to provide documents to the
registration officer who takes your notice.
If you are unable to produce the required
documents, your notice cannot be taken and
you will need to make another appointment.
Recent changes in the law mean that the
registration officer is unable to accept certain
documents, especially regarding proof of address,
unless they meet specific criteria. Further
information is available on our website.
You will need to produce evidence of identity,
including evidence of any names that you
have used during your lifetime; evidence of
nationality; proof of freedom to marry/form a
civil partnership, and proof of residence. You will
also need to produce a booking confirmation to
show the correct details of the venue where your
ceremony will be taking place.

ABOUT THE NOTICE
Your notices are valid for twelve months and
are ‘venue specific’ – that is, your ceremony
can only take place in the venue named on
the notice. You must ensure that the correct
venue is shown on your notices, and produce
confirmation of your booking at the time of
giving notice.
It may be possible to alter the date and time of
your ceremony, provided it is before the expiry
date of your notices, but a change of venue would
require you to give notice again including paying
the fees, and wait the necessary statutory waiting
time before paperwork could be issued to allow
the ceremony to take place.
No refunds can be given for the statutory notice
fee. It is a legal requirement that your notices are
displayed in the Register Office where you have
given notice, and they can be viewed by the public.
Once the statutory waiting period has elapsed,
your paperwork can be issued.
If your ceremony is taking place in the district
where you gave your notices, the certificates will
be kept with your paperwork ready for the day of
your ceremony.
If your ceremony is taking place in another
district, the Register Office where your ceremony
will be held can access the relevant paperwork
electronically, so there is no need for you to collect
or deliver any paperwork.
Different arrangements may apply if your
ceremony is taking place in a church or religious
building, so your vicar or minister may have to visit
the Register Office to collect the paperwork prior
to your ceremony.
You will be advised of these arrangements when
you give notice.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
Before either of you can give notice, you must
each have lived in a registration district for at
least seven full days (eight nights) immediately
before giving notice.
For example, if you move into a house or arrive in
the country on 1 April, the seven day period starts
the following day, 2 April, and is complete on
8 April. You can then give notice on 9 April.

All documents must be originals and
photocopies cannot be accepted. If any
documents are in a foreign language, you must
provide a full translation.
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