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The Marriage Act 1949 makes provision for marriages to be solemnized in a building which has been registered for that purpose without the need for a registrar to be present.

The Marriage Act 1949 makes provision for marriages between a man and a woman to be solemnized in a building which has been registered for that purpose without the need for a registrar to be present. Instead, the trustees or governing body of a registered building may authorise a person to attend marriages and sign the marriage schedule for marriages solemnized in that building. 

The Marriage Act 1949 also makes provision for the marriage of same sex couples to be solemnized in a building registered for that purpose without the presence of a registrar. Authorised persons may now be appointed by the trustees or governing body to attend the marriages between a man and a woman only, marriages of same sex couples only, or both.

The authorised person’s name and address will be certified to the Registrar General and the superintendent registrar of the registration district in which the building is situated. The building must have been registered for at least 12 months before an authorised person may be appointed.

Completing a certificate of appointment

The certificate of appointment should be completed by the trustees or members of the governing body of the building.

The Marriage Act 1949 requires all appointments of authorised persons to be recorded by the Registrar General. No person should therefore act as an authorised person until the appointment has been certified to the Registrar General and they have been informed by the General Register Office (GRO) that the details of the appointment have been recorded.

Please note that authorised persons who are currently appointed to attend marriages between a man and a woman must not attend or sign the marriage schedule for any marriage of a same sex couple until the building has been registered for that purpose and they have also been appointed by the trustees to do so.

The completed certificate should be sent to GRO either:

  • by e-mail: GROCasework@gro.gov.uk or
  • by post to: General Register Office, PO Box 476, Southport, Merseyside PR8 2WJ.

Please allow 20 working days from receipt of the application at GRO for the process of recording the appointment to take place. Once the appointment has been recorded, the authorised person will be advised in writing and the certificate of appointment will be sent to the superintendent registrar of the registration district in which the building is situated.

Where applicable, the person being replaced will no longer be able to perform the duties of an authorised person without being reappointed.

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