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Marriage and civil partnership notices

Before you get married or civil partnered you need to submit notice. By law you must do this at least 29 days before the date of your ceremony, but we recommend doing this 10 to 12 weeks beforehand. If you and your partner submit notices separately, the 29-day period starts when we receive the second set of notices and payment. 

Cost

A £100 statutory fee (plus postage) is applied to the submission of all marriage and civil partnership notices. For more details view registrars fees.

Request for special dispensation to marry or civil partner

In very specific circumstances, couples can get special dispensation to be married or civilly partnered within the 29-day period, to discuss this please contact us.

Non-UK citizens

If you are a non-UK citizen you also need to declare your immigration status (PDF 131KB). We also recommend that you consult the Registrar General for further information.

This applies to all non-UK residents whether you are living in the UK with settles status or travelling from abroad to marry in the UK.

How to submit notice

Here is what you need to do to submit notice:

  1. Complete forms
  2. Gather supporting documentation
  3. Email scanned or photographed copies of documents
  4. Post completed forms (but not supporting documents)
  5. Make payment when requested
  6. Your notice is lodged

Complete forms

Complete the relevant form:

Gather supporting documentation

You will need to include additional documents with your notice:

  • your birth certificate
  • evidence of where you live (ideally a current year Council Tax bill or photo driving licence, alternatively, we can accept a utility bill from within the last 3 months, or a bank statement from within the last month)
  • your divorce certificate if you or your partner were previously married
  • your dissolution certificate if you or your partner were previously in a civil partnership
  • a death certificate if a previous spouse (husband or wife) or civil partner has died
  • your passport or another document that provides evidence of your nationality
  • your certificate that you are free to marry under the law of your own country if you do not live in the UK

Email scanned or photographed copies of documents

Scan or take pictures of your:

  • completed marriage or civil partnership notice forms
  • completed witness and celebrant information sheet
  • completed declaration of status (if required)
  • supporting documents

Please email all of the copies to marriageandcivilpartnership@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.

Post completed forms

Immediately after emailing your copies to us, please post the following original completed forms to the Registrars address:

  • marriage or civil partnership notice forms
  • witness and celebrant information sheet
  • declaration of status (if required)

Aberdeenshire Registrars
Registration Office
25 Gordon Street
Huntly
AB54 8AN

Please do not post the original supporting documents (such as birth certificates or proof of address). We will review the supporting documents with you in person before issuing your marriage or civil partnership schedule.

Please note the minimum fee for postage will be large letter. Insufficient postage can cause delays in us receiving and processing your notices and will result in an additional fee. View current postage costs from the Royal Mail website.

Make payment when requested

We will contact you to confirm we have received your email and to arrange payment of your fee. 

Your notice is lodged

Once we have received the copies of your completed forms and confirmation of payment your notices will be formally lodged.

What happens after

Once you have lodged notice we will contact you to book an appointment to review your supporting documentation in person at your local registrars office.

Marriage or civil partnership schedule

If we are not conducting your ceremony we will also arrange a date where you can collect the marriage or civil partnership schedule. This will usually be a day or so prior to your ceremony. 

This schedule must be signed by the couple, the witnesses and the officiant as part of your ceremony.

For registrar-led ceremonies you do not need to collect your marriage schedule as we will bring this to the ceremony.

How long your notice is valid for

Your marriage or civil partnership notice will normally be valid for 90 days. Please contact us to discuss this if required.