If you are getting married or forming a civil partnership outside of England and Wales, different rules will apply depending on the country where your ceremony will be held.
It is your responsibility to find out what you must do to ensure your marriage or civil partnership will be legally recognised in the UK. The authorities in the country where you are planning to hold your ceremony will advise what legal paperwork they require before it can take place.
As long as your marriage or civil partnership is valid and legal in the country it took place, it should be recognised in the UK. There is no requirement to register a marriage which has taken place abroad in the UK.
To find out which documents you may need and how to apply for them, please visit Getting married abroad - GOV.UK.
Single status document
If you have been asked for a proof of single status document by another country and are not planning a marriage or civil partnership, please request that country’s embassy what else you can supply. We cannot issue proof of single status documents.
The General Register Office for England and Wales can issue a letter confirming no trace of marriage record for your name during a set period, which may be accepted for some purposes when a single status document is requested.
You must contact the General Register Office on 030 0123 1837 to apply for a ‘no trace letter’.
Certificate of no impediment
A certificate of no impediment (CNI) confirms there are no objections to a proposed marriage or civil partnership and is sometimes required if you are planning a ceremony abroad.
Certificates of no impediment can only be issued for marriages or civil partnerships abroad. They are not single-status documents.
The certificate does not expire, but different countries have rules about what is acceptable.
We can only issue a certificate if:
- you are a UK national
- your marriage or civil partnership is taking place in a foreign country but not a commonwealth country or the Irish Republic
- you have lived in England or Wales for the proceeding eight nights immediately before giving your notice of marriage or civil partnership
- the overseas authorities have asked you to obtain a certificate of no impediment
- we can take notice for the country concerned
- it is for a specific person in a specific country in the next few months
Please get in touch with us to arrange an appointment.
Book appointment
Getting your certificate of no impediment
28 days from having given notice, if no impediment to the marriage or civil partnership has been shown, we will provide you with a certificate of no impediment (CNI).
We will contact you to ask you how you would like us to send this to you.
It is important to note that any certificate issued by us, on its own, may not be sufficient to allow the marriage or civil partnership to take place. You must ensure you complete any other legal requirements of the country you chose for your ceremony.
Apostille or legalisation stamp
The country where your marriage or civil partnership is taking place may require your certificate of no impediment to have an 'Apostille' or legalisation stamp.
This stamp is put on the document by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which confirms that the document is genuine. You will need to establish whether this is required and allow time to complete this.
Further advice
If you have any questions about getting married abroad or single status document, please get in touch with us.
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