COVID-19 update
On 23 June 2020 the Government announced that it would permit small marriages and civil partnerships from 04 July 2020 with gatherings of no more than 30 people being permitted subject to the size of the venue to allow for social distancing.
The current restrictions for Marriages and Civil Partnerships to be held in Walsall are as follows:
- The usual ceremony costs will apply
- Ceremonies will be permitted in all council venues with reduced capacity; the Register Office (Couple and 2 witnesses only), Hatherton Suite (Couple and 6 attendees including witnesses and photographers). If your ceremony is booked for an approved premise or a religious venue please contact them for advice on what they are able to offer.
- Details of all guests will be required for NHS Track and Trace.
- The ceremony content will be confined to the minimum required for the legal process to minimise time in the building.
- Social distancing measures will be in place to ensure the building is COVID-19 secure. Face coverings are recommended.
We fully understand that some couples will prefer to wait and celebrate their marriage/civil partnership at a later date and are happy to reschedule any bookings.
We are not taking any new bookings for ceremonies to take place during 2020 until all the couples previously booked have been accommodated.
We are currently booking notice appointments for urgent and essential notices of marriages and civil partnerships due to take place within the next 8 weeks to enable these couples to proceed with their existing plans if they wish to continue under the current restrictions.
Appointments can be booked for couples with ceremonies taking place abroad who need a certificate of no impediment.
If you are marrying or registering a civil partnership later this year or next year you do not need to give notice yet. In line with government guidance this should be deferred to a later date when it is safer for all.
For queries relating to a marriage ceremony due to take place in this district please email walsallregisteroffice@walsall.gov.uk
Walsall Registration Services Marriage and Civil Partnership Ceremony Guidance
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Choose a venue
Give notice
Civil partnership
Convert civil partnership to marriage
Religious ceremonies
Getting married abroad
Renew wedding vows
Choose a venue
Walsall offers a range of venues for you to celebrate your marriage or civil partnership. You may use the Hatherton Suite at the Register Office, or choose from other approved places in Walsall.
Walsall Registration Services Marriage and Civil Partnership Ceremony Guidance
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Give notice
Before you get married or form a civil partnership in England or Wales, you must both give formal notice at your local register office. This can be done anytime between 30 days to 12 months before the date you get married.
Both you and your partner must have lived in England or Wales for seven full days prior to giving notice. If you and your partner live in different registration districts you need to give notice separately. You do not have to do this on the same day. It does not matter if either of you moves to a different address once you have given notice.
If you live in Walsall make an appointment to give notice with us. Call us on 0300 555 2847, our lines are open between 8.45am and 5pm Monday - Thursday, and 8.45am and 4:45pm on Fridays.
If either party to the marriage is not a citizen of the EEA or Switzerland, then you both need to give notice at a designated register office
When you attend your appointment you need to prove your nationality with one of the following:
- valid UK passport
- valid EEA passport
- full birth certificate
- certificate of naturalization as a British citizen
If you were born after 1983 and do not hold a valid UK passport, you need your full birth certificate and your mother's birth certificate.
You need to supply proof of your address by providing one of the following documents, which must also show your full name:
- valid UK driving licence
- utility bill dated no more than 3 months before the date on which notice is given
- bank or building society statement dated no more than 1 month before the date on which notice is given
- most recent council tax bill
- most recent mortgage statement
- current residential tenancy agreement
If either of you have been married before you need proof of the end of your previous marriage by death, divorce or nullity.
If your divorce papers were not been issued in England or Wales we need to see the original divorce document and a translation. There may be a delay in issuing the authority for marriage and an additional fee is charged for each foreign divorce document that is checked.
If either of you have changed your name legally before, such as through deed poll or a solicitor, you need proof of name change.
If either of you are under 18 please book your appointment in person at the register office. We will help you to bring the right evidence to your appointment. You need proof that your parents (or legal guardians) agree to the marriage. If your parents are divorced we may need to see the court order that gives custody to one of your parents.
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Civil Partnership
A civil partnership is formed when a couple sign a civil partnership document in the presence of a registrar and two witnesses. You may choose to hold a ceremony alongside the legal signing. The fee for a civil partnership is the same whether you choose a ceremony or not.
Walsall Registration Services Marriage and Civil Partnership Ceremony Guidance
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Convert civil partnership to marriage
Where approriate, the conversion can take place in Walsall, provided the civil partnership took place within England or Wales.
Once the civil partnership is converted to a marriage the civil partnership ends, and the couple are treated as having been married since the date that they originally entered into their civil partnership.
If you are already civil partners and are able to convert your existing partnership to a marriage you can do this at any register office or approved premise in England or Wales. A statutory fee will be charged for a civil partnership to be converted into a marriage. If you wish to follow the conversion process with a marriage celebration ceremony the normal ceremony fees will apply.
Further information on converting your civil partnership to a marriage.
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Religious ceremonies
If you are planning to marry in a Church of England or Church of Wales, you must first discuss your marriage with the vicar. If he or she is able to marry you then they will advise you on the ceremony, the time scales and the necessary legal requirements including publishing Banns of the marriage, or for the issue of common licence. If your marriage is taking place in any other religious building, you need to give formal notice of marriage at your local register office after you have arranged your ceremony date.
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Getting married abroad
If you marry abroad you must follow the regulations of the country you want to get married in. Please contact the country's embassy for more information. More information on marriage abroad can be found on the GOV.UK .
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Renew wedding vows
Couples who marry or form a civil partnership can renew their vows in a special event held for family and friends. Vow renewal ceremonies can be conducted at the register office and other approved premises within Walsall.
To book a ceremony contact the Register Office.
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