Guide to Giving Notice

If you are marrying in church or having a religious ceremony in any other building, all arrangements must be made with the person who is to solemnise your marriage, but the legal requirements are as stated and notice of your marriage must still be given to the Registrar of births, deaths and marriages of the area in which the marriage is to take place.

Giving notice of your marriage

Marriage notice forms and information regarding fees may be obtained from any Registrar of births, deaths and marriages in Scotland.
Both parties to a marriage must complete and submit notice forms, along with the required documents and appropriate fee, to the Registrar for the district in which the marriage is to take place. The signing of the marriage notice is in effect a declaration that the particulars and information given on the notice are correct.
The notices must be submitted early enough to enable the Registrar to ensure that the parties are free to marry each other. Normally notices should be submitted to the Registrar about six weeks before the date of marriage. The minimum period is 15 days before the date of proposed marriage but if left this late it may, in certain circumstances, be necessary to postpone the marriage.
Only in exceptional circumstances will the Registrar General authorise a marriage to take place if 15 days’ notice has not been given.
It is not necessary for both parties to attend personally at the Registrar’s office to submit marriage notices, but at least one of the parties must attend personally in the seven days prior to the marriage to finalise arrangements with the Registrar who may need further information before the marriage can proceed.

Documents to be produced when submitting Marriage Notices

Birth certificate of each party.
If widowed – death certificate of former spouse.
If previously married and marriage was terminated by divorce or annulment a certified copy of decree. A decree of divorce granted outwith Scotland must be absolute and final – a decree nisi is not acceptable.
If domiciled outwith the United Kingdom it may be necessary to produce a certificate of no impediment issued by a competent authority in your country of domicile, that you are free to marry. Please consult your local Registrar for advice. If you are now resident in the United Kingdom and have lived here for the last two years or more, you need not submit such a certificate.
Any document in a language other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation in English.
A person who is subject to immigration control should contact the registrar for further information.

If either party lives in England or Wales

As an alternative to the normal procedure of giving notice to a Registrar in Scotland, if you intend to marry

a person residing in Scotland, or
a person residing in England or Wales who has a parent residing in Scotland,

you may give notice of marriage to the Superintendent Registrar in the district in England or Wales where you live. The person you are marrying must, however, give notice in Scotland in the usual way. If you decide to proceed in this way the certificate of marriage obtained from the Superintendent Registrar should be sent to the Scottish Registrar without delay.

The marriage schedule

The Marriage Schedule is a very important document. It is in effect authority for the marriage to go ahead, and no marriage can proceed without it. When the Registrar is satisfied that there is no legal impediment to the marriage, a Marriage Schedule will be prepared.

If the marriage is a civil marriage, the Registrar will have the Schedule at the marriage ceremony for signature.

In the case of a religious marriage, the registrar cannot issue the schedule more than seven days before the marriage, and you will be advised when to collect it. The Schedule cannot be collected on your behalf by a relative or friend. The registrar will issue it only to the prospective bride and/or groom. You will be asked to sign for the Marriage Schedule.

After the ceremony the Marriage Schedule must be returned to the registrar within three days so that the marriage can be registered. The Marriage Schedule can be returned by a relative or friend of the bride or groom.

Marriage certificate

After the marriage has been registered, a marriage certificate may be obtained from the Registrar on payment of the appropriate fee.