Contents

• Check eligibility and the documents you need
• Get a certificate of no impediment at an embassy or consulate
• Get a certificate of no impediment by post
• Proof that you’re living in or staying in the country before giving notice
• If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before

If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before

You‘ll need one of the following:

• decree absolute or final order – or the equivalent in the country where it was issued
• husband, wife or civil partner’s death certificate
• annulment certificate

You can order a UK decree absolute or final order from a divorce, dissolution or annulment. You can also order a UK death certificate.

Additional documents to post or bring to your appointment

If your divorce or dissolution was outside the UK, send or bring evidence you, or your ex-partner, were a national of or resident in that country when it took place to your embassy or notary appointment.

If your relationship to your husband, wife or civil partner is not on their death certificate, you’ll need to send or bring your marriage or civil partnership certificate.

If you have a paper document to show the marriage or civil partnership has ended you can send or bring the original document to the embassy, or a copy of the document certified in the country where it was issued.

If you only have a digital document to show the marriage or civil partnership has ended, you can upload it when you apply online, but you’ll need to send or bring further evidence. For example an email, letter or other document from a court confirming they issued the document.

You’ll need to send or bring the original UK death certificate. It’s against copyright law to make a copy of a UK death certificate, so a certified copy will not be accepted. All original documents will be posted back to you with your CNI if you’re applying by post.

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.