Confirm you’re free to get married in if you live in the UK

Check the laws in to make sure you can get married. Your marriage will be recognised in the UK if:

• you follow the correct process according to the law in
• it would be allowed under UK law

The person conducting your ceremony or relevant local authority can help you understand the processes you need to follow to get married, including what documents you’ll need.

Get a certificate of no impediment from a UK register office

To get married in , British nationals living in the UK need a certificate of no impediment (CNI). A CNI is a legal document that states that no barriers (called impediments) to your marriage have been shown to exist.

To get a CNI, book an appointment at a UK register office to give notice. Tell them you need a CNI to get married abroad when you book your appointment.

Your UK CNI should be accepted in . Check with the person conducting your ceremony or relevant local authority how long before your ceremony your CNI must be issued.

You and your partner’s names on the CNI should match the names on your passports, including your middle names.

As well as a CNI, you may need other documents to get married in . You may also need to get some documents legalised (certified with a stamped official certificate called an apostille) or translated into the local language by a qualified translator. Check with the person conducting your ceremony or relevant local authority.

Marriage registration

Marriages that take place abroad according to another country’s law are not added to UK records. Your marriage will be registered in instead. The person conducting your ceremony can tell you how to get a marriage certificate. You will not be able to register at or get a certificate from a UK register office, or British embassy or consulate. Keep your marriage certificate as evidence of your marriage. You may want to get it translated, especially if you want to use it outside . Find a qualified translator.

If your partner is a British national

They should check what documentation they need with the person conducting your ceremony or relevant local authority and apply online themselves.

If your partner is not a British national or a national of

Your partner should contact their national embassy to find out what documentation they need to get married in .

If you want to marry your civil partner

To marry your civil partner you’ll either need to convert your civil partnership into a marriage, or end (dissolve) the civil partnership before you get married.

If you registered a same-sex civil partnership in the UK you can convert it into a marriage. Otherwise, check the laws in the country where your civil partnership was registered to find out what you need to do.

You cannot get a CNI while you‘re still in a civil partnership.

If you’ve travelled to without a UK CNI

Ask the person conducting your ceremony or relevant local authority what you should do.