Getting married in Scotland
Types of marriage
There are two types of marriages in Scotland:
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A religious marriage (Christian or non-Christian) can be carried out only by:
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a minister
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member of the clergy
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pastor
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priest
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or other person entitled to do so under the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977.
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A civil marriage can take place in a registration office or an approved venue. Civil marriages can be carried out only by:
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a registrar who has been authorised by the Registrar General
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or assistant registrar who has been authorised by the Registrar General
If you are having a religious marriage
It is important to make early arrangements for the date, time and place of your marriage. Remember to contact the person carrying out your wedding in advance. This should be done well before the planned date of marriage.
If you are having a civil marriage
You should contact the registrar well in advance to book your wedding. This is very important to secure the date and to discuss your ceremony. Advance booking is especially important for popular locations and times of the year.
There are lots of venues for civil marriages. Councils can approve places where civil marriages can be carried out by registrars. This approval can be for a single occasion or for up to three years. For a current list of approved places in North Ayrshire see approved venues for civil marriages . Your local registration office can also provide a list of approved venues.
To apply for a temporary approval for a civil marriage within North Ayrshire please contact the District Court, Townhouse, Irvine .
You can find a list of approved places for Scotland at the General Register Office for Scotland website.
You should arrange for two witnesses aged 16 years or over to be present at your marriage. These are usually referred to as your best man and bridesmaid. The witness form (Word 20Kb) can be downloaded from here.
Remember to let the member of the clergy or registrar know if you change your wedding plans.
Who can be married in Scotland
Any two persons, regardless of where they live, may marry in Scotland provided that:
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Both persons are at least 16 years of age on the day of their marriage.
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They are not related to one another in a way which would prevent them marrying* - if in doubt please check with the local registrar.
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They are unmarried and not in a civil partnership (any person who has already been married or registered as a civil partner must produce certain documents (Word 20Kb) as evidence that the previous marriage or civil partnership registration has ended by death, divorce, annulment or dissolution).
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They are not of the same sex.
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They are capable of understanding the nature of a marriage ceremony and of consenting to the marriage.
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The marriage would be regarded as valid in any foreign country to which either party belongs.
* For the degrees of relationship within which marriage is forbidden please see General Register Office Scotland website.
NB - For further details please refer to the green leaflet RM1 Marriage in Scotland (PDF 43Kb)available from any registration office.
How and when to give notice (religious or civil marriage)
You can get marriage notice forms (PDF395 Kb) and information about fees from any registration office in Scotland.
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The bride and groom must complete a marriage notice form and submit it with the required documents (Word 21.5Kb) and appropriate fees to the registrar. If the marriage is in North Ayrshire you should submit the notice forms to any of our five registration offices .
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Timing is important. The notices must be submitted early enough to satisfy the registrar that you are free to marry. Notices should normally be submitted about four weeks before the wedding. If either party has been married before, the notices should be with the registrar six weeks before the wedding. The minimum notice period is 14 clear days before the planned date of marriage. If you leave things as late as this you may need to delay your wedding.
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Only in special circumstances will the Registrar General allow a marriage to take place if the minimum period of 14 clear days notice has not been given.
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You don't have to attend the registration office to hand in your marriage notices. However at least one of the parties must attend personally before the date of marriage. It is necessary to visit the registrar to collect the marriage schedule for a religious marriage. For a civil marriage it is helpful to visit the registrar to discuss your wedding plans. North Ayrshire Council receive very positive customer feedback in relation to all civil ceremonies we provide. You may wish to read a selection of our customer comments or alternatively the full list for 2009 (PDF 17.6Kb) is available.
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Every person giving notice is required to sign a declaration stating that the information on their notice forms is correct. As a safeguard against bigamous marriages a further check is made by the Registrar General's Office.
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People related in any of the ways in the list of Degrees of Relationship (PDF 4.3Kb) will each require to sign a separate form. You can get this from any registrar of births, deaths, and marriages in Scotland.
The marriage schedule
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When the registrar is satisfied the marriage can go ahead a marriage schedule will be prepared. The marriage schedule is a very important document. A marriage cannot take place without it.
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If you are having a religious marriage the registrar will issue the marriage schedule. The registrar cannot issue the schedule more than seven days before the wedding. You will be advised when to collect it. The schedule cannot be collected by a relative or friend. The registrar will only issue it to the bride or groom. You will be asked to sign for the marriage schedule at the time of collection.
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The marriage schedule must be produced to the minister, priest or clergyman carrying out the marriage before the ceremony. Please remember the marriage cannot take place without the schedule.
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Immediately after the ceremony the schedule must be signed by:
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the bride and groom
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the person carrying out the marriage
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the two witnesses aged 16 years or over
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After the ceremony the marriage schedule must be returned to the registrar within three days of the wedding. The registrar will register your marriage and post out your marriage certificate. The marriage schedule can be returned by a relative or friend of the bride or groom.
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If you are having a civil wedding a marriage schedule will not be issued to you. The registrar will have it available at the marriage ceremony for signing. Your marriage will then be registered and your certificate will be posted out.
Marriage certificate
You can have as many copies of your marriage certificate as you want. Each copy costs £10.00 for up to one month after your marriage and thereafter the statutory fee of £15.00 for a certificate applies. However if an original extract is produced at the time of request, the fee will continue to be £10.00.
Booking a civil marriage ceremony
To book a civil marriage ceremony please contact any North Ayrshire registration office to check dates and times. We will ask you for a booking fee of £55.00 to secure your date. This is not an additional charge and will be taken from your overall fees. If your wedding is cancelled or postponed we cannot refund the booking fee.
There are five registration offices within North Ayrshire. If your wedding is to take place within North Ayrshire you can book at any of these offices. Your wedding must be at a registration office or a venue on our approved list. If you require guidance in relation to arranging your civil marriage in an approved venue please contact your local registration office. There are also guidelines available regarding North Ayrshire Council's policy on photography and the use of video cameras during civil ceremonies. We have a list of approved venues throughout North Ayrshire. If you are having your civil marriage in a place other than a registration office or one of our approved venues, then you may make application for an approval from licensing section, North Ayrshire Council, Corporate Services, Townhouse, Irvine for advice.
When civil marriages are conducted
Civil marriages are carried out 361 days per year. No civil marriages are carried out on 25 and 26 December or 1 and 2 January.
Monday - Friday
Morning - 10.00am or 11.00am
Afternoon - 1.30pm 2.30pm and 3.30pm - preferred latest time (4.00pm if requested)
Evening - 6.00pm
Saturdays Sundays and Public Holidays - 12 noon to 6.00pm (bookings on the hour - earliest 12 noon and latest 6.00pm)
Monday - Friday
Morning - as requested (earliest 10.00am)
Afternoon - as requested (latest 4.00pm)
Evening - 6.00pm
Saturdays Sundays and Public Holidays - as requested (earliest 12 noon and latest 6.00pm)
View our customer comments (Word 62Kb). Details of all ceremonies are available in our Civil Ceremonies in North Ayrshire Disk on request.
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