Giving Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership Formation

When you have decided on the venue for your ceremony and arranged the date and time, you will need to give a formal notice of marriage or civil partnership at the Registration Office in the district where you live. If you each live in separate districts please arrange your appointments to be within a week of each other at your relevant districts. If you live in Hertfordshire, you may attend any of the Registration Offices within the county.

Notice must be given in person by each party to the ceremony. If you both live in the same district, you should attend the Registration Office together. If you live in different districts you should each give notice in your own district, preferably within a week of each other.
At the time of giving notice, both parties must have lived for at least 7 complete days, immediately prior to the notice, in their respective districts. For example, a person arriving at an address at any time on Tuesday does not start the seven day period until the Wednesday. Wednesday would be day 1 and the following Tuesday would be day 7, so notice could be given the next day, Wednesday.

Before attending at an office in Hertfordshire to give notice please telephone 0300 123 4045 for an appointment or book online.

Giving notice of marriage or civil partnership means you are declaring that you are both free to marry or form a civil partnership with each other and you may do this up to twelve months before the day of your ceremony.

When you give notice, you will be asked the following questions about yourself and your partner:

• your full names and addresses
• your dates of birth
• whether you have been married or in a civil partnership before
• what your occupations are

The notices are displayed in your local districts for 15 clear days. On the 16th day the authorities for your marriage or civil partnership will be issued.

You must arrange for these authorities to be delivered to the place of the ceremony.

Your ceremony must then take place within twelve months of the date you gave notice. Your authorities are only valid for 12 months.