Documents you need to give notice
The documents you need depend on your individual circumstances. All documents must be:
- originals. You cannot bring photocopies, faxed copies or emailed copies
- in English. Any documents not in English must have a translation.
You must bring originals of the following documents to your appointment:
- details of the final venue for your ceremony
- a valid passport or UK birth certificate (if you were born before 1 January 1983)
- proof of your home address
- proof of any name changes (for example, a copy of a deed poll).
To prove your address, bring one of the following:
- valid UK or Irish driving licence
- gas, water or electricity bill from the last 3 months
- bank or building society statement from the last month
- Council Tax bill from the last 12 months
- mortgage statement from the last 12 months
- current tenancy agreement
- letter from your landlord (dated within the last 7 days) confirming you live there and including your landlord’s name, address and their signature.
If your normal address is outside the UK, you’ll need to give details of a UK contact address. For example, this could be your partner, friend or family member’s address.
If you've been married or in a civil partnership before
You’ll also need to bring one of the following documents:
- a decree absolute or final order
- your former partner’s death certificate.
You need to bring proof of your divorce, annulment or dissolution if it was granted outside of the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man. They need to be translated into English by a reputable translator.
You’ll have to pay a fee of £50 for the Slough Register Office to check your documents, or £75 if the General Register Office needs to check them.
The General Register Office can take up to six weeks to check your documents, so you should choose your wedding date allowing for this.
If you reverted to your maiden name after divorce or your name is not shown on the death certificate, you will need to bring your previous marriage certificate to your appointment as well. This establishes a link between your current name and your previous married name which was used on documents such as the decree absolute.
If you or your partner are from outside the UK
You’ll also need to bring:
- a passport sized photo 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)
- a translation of any documents that are not in English.
If you’re from the EU, EEA or have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
You’ll need to bring confirmation of either:
- your settled or pre-settled status - you’ll need to bring a share code which you can get from the view and prove your immigration status service. The code will be valid for 30 days
- an application to the EU Settlement Scheme you made on or before 30 June 2021, which you’re waiting for a decision on - you’ll need to bring your certificate of application.