If you are choosing to marry or register a civil partnership abroad contact the country’s embassy in the UK, which will tell you which documents you need. Many countries ask for a 'certificate of no impediment' issued by your local register office showing that you are free to marry or register a civil partnership. For some countries it is not possible to issue this certificate and they may require alternate evidence such as a sworn affidavit or a 'no trace' letter issued by the General Register Office for England and Wales.
There is no provision in The Consular Marriages and Marriages under Foreign Law (No. 2) Order 2014 for a Certificate of No Impediment to be issued to anyone who wishes to be married in a country or territory outside the United Kingdom which is not included in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981. This means that we cannot issue a Certificate of No Impediment for a marriage or civil partnership taking place in Commonwealth countries and territories.
If you are living abroad you will need to contact the British Embassy or Consulate located in the country where you reside.
If you marry or form a civil partnership abroad, you cannot register an overseas marriage or civil partnership in the UK. It will usually be recognised as a legal marriage in the UK if it is valid in the country where the marriage took place.
If you are both British citizens, in order to obtain a certificate of no impediment you must have lived in a registration district within England or Wales for the previous 7 clear days or more when giving notice at your local register office. The certificate will be issued after the expiration of 28 clear days from the day after giving notice to this office. The certificate is issued without an expiry date but the country to which you will produce it will set their own validity period. You should confirm what this is with the authorities for the country where you wish to marry before giving notice so that notice is given within the required timescale.
The certificate is only issued for what it is worth to the foreign authorities and will not be the only documentation you will need to produce (you will need to find out from them what other requirements need to be met to marry or form a civil partnership in another country)
You both need to be 18 or over
You both need to be legally free to marry or form a civil partnership
You must not be related
You must be British Subject
You must have resided in the Dudley Borough for 7 clear days immediately beforegiving notice
The statutory notice fee will be payable but there is no charge for the certificate of no impediment. The notice fee is non-refundable once notice has been given.
You will need to know the location of where the ceremony will take place to be able to give notice.
If you are a British citizen and you are marrying a foreign national, in order to obtain a certificate of no impediment you must have lived in a registration district within England or Wales for 7 clear days or more when giving notice at your local register office. The certificate will be issued after the expiration of 28 clear days from the day after giving notice to this office. The certificate is issued without an expiry date but the country to which you will produce it will set their own validity period. You should confirm what this is with the authorities for the country where you wish to marry before giving notice so that notice is given within the required timescale.
The certificate is only issued for what it is worth to the foreign authorities and will not be the only documentation you will need to produce (you will need to find out from embassy what other requirements need to be met to marry or form a civil partnership in another country)
You both need to be aged 18 or over
You both need to be legally free to marry or form a civil partnership
You must not be related
You must be British Subject
Notice is not taken for a foreign national marrying abroad
You must have resided in the Dudley Borough for 7 clear days immediately before giving notice
The statutory notice fee will be payable but there is no charge for the certificate of no impediment. The notice fee is non-refundable once notice has been given.
You will also need to produce documentation at the time ofgiving notice
You will need to know the location of where the ceremony will take place, the full names of your husband/wife to be and their full address and occupation.
To give notice you will need to sign a statement and produce documents to your local superintendent registrar; if you are a Dudley borough resident please book an appointment online once you have confirmed with the country’s Embassy in the UK which documents you need to produce to them. If you live elsewhere you will need to contact your local register office. If you are resident overseas you can do this at the local British Embassy or Consulate Office.
You will be required to produce certain documents to give notice, please read the full details on our website to ensure that you bring the correct documents to your appointment. If you do not produce the correct documents your notice cannot be taken and a fresh appointment will need to be booked and paid for which will delay the issue of the certificate and could affect the date of your marriage.
The statutory notice fee payable when giving notice of marriage or civil partnership for a marriage or civil partnership taking place overseas is £38.50 per person.
Information and guidance on how to add Apostille stamps and legalise documents is available on the Gov.UK website.
Please check carefully that you have all the required documents then book an appointment to give notice online within the validity period specified by the country where you are marrying or forming a civil partnership.
