Getting married abroad

Getting Married Abroad

If you wish to enter into a marriage or civil partnership abroad, you must follow the regulations of the country you want to get married in. You will also need to stay in the country for a specific length of time before the ceremony. Please contact the country's embassy for more information.

What documents will I need?
You may be asked for a certificate of no impediment. You can get this by giving notice to your local registration office and you will need to wait 28 clear days before the certificate of no impediment can be issued. There is no expiry date on a certificate of no impediment, but the certificate may only be valid for a three month period from the date of giving notice in some countries. Most countries will also need to see specific documents, please contact the country's embassy for more information.

Can I register my marriage or civil partnership in England or Wales?
Marriages and civil partnerships of British subjects in a foreign country are legally recognised, but can't be registered here unless one of the couple is a serving member of, or attached to, the British armed forces at the time of ceremony. Where this is not the case, you can lodge a record of the marriage or civil partnership with the General Register Office. There is no time limit, but only original documents may be lodged and only the British consul for the district where the ceremony took place may send the documents to the General Register Office. This only applies to certain countries and a fee is charged for this.

Certificates will be able to be obtained from the General Register Office at some time in the future. Find out how to contact the General Register Office on the Gov.uk website.

Changes to your passport
If you are travelling abroad following your marriage, you can have your passport changed to reflect your married name up to three months before the date of your ceremony. To do this you will need to obtain a PD2 form www.gov.uk and once you have completed your section, simply bring it to the register office to be signed. Please remember to book your travel in the same name as the passport that you will be using at the time of travelling.