Slough Borough Council

Getting married abroad

There are separate rules and regulations for marriages in:

• Scotland
• Northern Ireland
• Republic of Ireland
• Commonwealth countries, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
• Foreign countries

Everyone of these is different! Each of them has separate regulations around nationalities of the parties marrying, residence in the district before giving notice, and length of the period of notice.

Please phone us on 01753 787600 if you live in Slough and are thinking of contracting a marriage in one of the areas listed above. We can then give you the specific information you need.

You cannot register a foreign marriage in this country. However, it is possible to make a marriage deposit for some but not all marriages abroad.

The original marriage document must be taken or sent to the British Embassy or High Commission in the country where the marriage took place, together with a translation if the certificate is not in English. Various procedures then take place, and eventually a marriage deposit is recorded in the General Register Office in this country.

For more information visit the GRO website.