Who can get married in Scotland?
Anyone, regardless of their place of residence can marry in Scotland
provided that:
they are not related to one another in a way that would
prevent the marriage.
they are not already married (anyone who has already been
married must produce evidence that the previous marriage has been
ended by death, divorce or annulment).
both are at least 16 years old on the day of the wedding.
they are not of the same sex.
they understanding the nature of a wedding ceremony and
consent to marry.
they are not related in a way that would prevent the marriage
by law. (click here
for full details)
How can we get married?
There are two ways to be married in Scotland; either by a religious
or by a civil ceremony:
Under scots law a religious ceremony may take place anywhere
but may be solemnised only by a minister, clergyman, priest or
other person entiled to do so by law.
A civil marriage may take place in a registry office or
at an approved venue and may be solemnised only by a registrar
or an assistant registrar. (click here for some approved civil
venues)
It is possible in some circumstances for the Local
Authority to permit a civil marriage to take place in another
venue, domestic homes, hospitals etc. In these cases you should
contact the local authority in whose area the wedding is to take
place for further details.
What paperwork is required?
First stop is your local Registrar (click
here for list).
You can get a marriage notice form from any registrar of births,
deaths and marriages in Scotland. Both of you must complete and
submit a marriage notice, along with the documents listed below
and the appropriate fee to the local registrar for the district
where the marriage is to take place.
The registrar has a duty to satisfy himself that you are free
to marry and requires a minimum period of four weeks before the
wedding to do this, if neither of you has been married before.
If one of you has been married previously, you should submit the
marriage notice six weeks beforehand. The minimum period for submitting
the documents is 15 days before the wedding. However, if you submit
the documents as late as this you could leave it too late and
be forced to postpone your wedding.
At least one of you must personally attend the registrar's office
to hand in your marriage notice. This is necessary to collect
the Marriage Schedule if it's to be a religious ceremony or to
finalise arrangements with the registrar, if it's to be a civil
ceremony. It is necessary for one of you to attend in person because
the registrar will need further information before the marriage
can proceed.
Every person who submits a marriage notice must sign a declaration
that the information given on the notice is truthful and correct.
The General Register Office for Scotland will carry out subsequent
checks to ensure that teh marriage is not bigamous.
If you are related in any of the ways listed at the end of this
page (click here)
you will each have to sign a separate declaration form. You can
get this form from any registrar of births, deaths and marriages
in Scotland.
If you live elsewhere in the UK
If you live in England or Wales, you may give notice of marriage
to your local superintendant registrar in the district where you
live : if
you intend to marry
1. a person living in Scotland, or
2. a person living in England or Wales who has a parent residing
in Scotland.
The person you are marrying should give notice in Scotland in
the usual way, however.
If you plan to proceed in this way, you should seek the advice
of the superintendent registrar of your district. Once you have
received a certificate for marriage obtained from the superintendent
registrar you should send it to the Scottish registrar immediately.
Documents required
You must supply the following documents to the registrar along
with the marriage notice forms:
Your birth certificate.
If you were married previously and the marriage was dissolved,
a certificate of divorce or annulment or a certified copy decree.
A decree of divorce granted outwith Scotland must be absolute
or final - a decree nisi is not acceptable.
If you are a widow or widower, the death certificate of your former
spouse is required.
If you and the person you are marrying are related in any of the
ways listed at the end of this page, death certificates are required
of the persons mentioned in the notes (b).
If you are resident in another country, outside the United Kingdom,
a "certificate of no impediment" issued by relevant
authority of that country, to the effect that you are free to
marry. If in doubt, contact the Registrar.
If any of these documents is in a foreign anguage , a certified
translation in English must be provided.
If there is a delay or likely to be a delay in securing any of
these documents, you should still give notice to marry to the
registrar and submit them to the Registrar as they become available.
If you live outside of the UK
The normal procedure of giving notice to the registrar in Scotland
must be followed but there is an additional requirement on you.
If you are subject to the marriage laws of the country you live
in, you should obtain a certificate issued by the competent authority
declaring that there is no impediment to your proposed marriage.
If the certificate is not in English you should also produce a
certified translation.
If you do not have such a certificate and if you cannot provide
good reason for its absense it may not be possible for you to
marry in Scotland.
If you are now resident in the UK and have lived here for the
last two years or more you do not need to submit such a certificate.
If you are in any doubts or qiuestions you
should consult the registrar or write to the General
Register Office for Scotland
Arrangements for the wedding ceremony
You should make the arrangements for the date and time of your
marriage as early as possible.
If you are having a religious ceremony contact the clergyman who
is officiating at the service, before you complete the notice
of marriage.
For a civil marriage make arrangements with the registrar as soon
as you can. Remember that many people wish to get married at the
most populr times of year and that the Registry Office or the
approved venues may be taken months in advance.
Arrange for two persons, aged 16 years or over, to be present
at your marriage to act as witnesses. Witnesses are required in
civil and religious ceremonies.
The Marriage Schedule
When the registrar is satisfied there is no legal impediment to
the marriage, a Marriage Schedule will be prepared from the information
you have given. The Schedule is a most
important document - no marriage can proceed without it.
If it is to be a religious wedding, the Marriage Schedule will
be issued to you by the registrar. The Schedule cannot be issued
more than seven days before the wedding and the registrar will
inform you when it can be collected. You or your partner must
collect the Marriage Schedule in person. It cannot be collected
on your behalf by anyone else.
The Marriage Schedule must be produced before the wedding ceremony
to the clergyman or person performing the marriage.
The Schedule must be signed by both parties, by the person performing
the marriage and by the two witnesses, immediately after the ceremony.
Following the wedding ceremony, it must be returned to the registrar
so that he can register the marriage.
If it is to be a civil wedding a Marriage Schedule will not be
issued, but the registrar will have it available at the wedding
ceremony for signature. He will register the marriage immediately
after the ceremony.
A fee for the civil marriage at the Registry office and for the
marriage and the attendance of an authorised registrar at an approved
place is payable to the registrar in advance.
The Marriage Certificate
After the marriage has been registered you can get copies of the
marriage certificate from the registrar for the fee listed below.
What costs are involved?
The fees for both civil and religious marriages are set down by
law and are currently as follows:
For each person submitting a notice of marriage, civil or religious,
to the district registrar - £20
For solemnisation of a civil marriage - £45
For each copy of the marriage certificate £8.50