The way civil and religious marriages are registered is changing from 4 May 2021.
Registrars in the district where you are marrying will prepare the marriage schedule. The Registrars attending your ceremony will bring it with them to the marriage venue.
If you're marrying in a religious ceremony other than the Church of England, you must arrange for the marriage schedule to be collected and taken to the person who will perform the marriage at the religious building before your ceremony.
You, your witnesses and the registrars will sign the schedule at the end of the ceremony. After the ceremony, the registrar will record the information from the schedule onto the electronic register.
If you marry in a religious ceremony, you will need to make arrangements with the relevant person from the religious building for your marriage schedule to be sent to:
Registration Certificate Archive
The Old Courthouse
Hatfield
AL10 0ES
...within 21 days of your marriage.
The marriage schedule will contain the details of the couple getting married:
- name
- date of birth
- marital status
- occupation
- address
- where and when the marriage takes place.
You can now record your parents’ details on the marriage schedule and in the marriage registration (including step-parents). It's best to provide this information when you give notice but, if you didn’t, you can provide the information either before or on the day of your marriage.
A marriage certificate will only be issued after the details from the marriage schedule have been entered onto the electronic marriage register.
If you marry in a civil ceremony, you can apply for your marriage certificate on the first working day following your marriage. Your certificate will be sent within 7 days of your application.
If you marry in a religious ceremony other than the Church of England, once the completed signed marriage schedule is received by the Registration Certificate Archive and entered onto the electronic marriage register, you can apply for your marriage certificate. Your certificate will be sent within 7 days of your application.
If you're getting married in a Church of England in Hertfordshire, the Minister at the church will provide a marriage document for you to sign at the end of the ceremony.
After your ceremony, you will need to make arrangements with the Minister for the marriage document to be sent to:
Registration Certificate Archive
The Old Courthouse
Hatfield
AL10 0ES
...within 21 days of your marriage.
When we receive your marriage document, we will register your marriage onto the electronic marriage register.
You can then apply for your marriage certificates to be sent to you. The certificates will be sent within 7 days of your application.