To register a marriage or civil partnership you’ll need to complete and submit forms and documents before your ceremony. This is also known as submitting notice.
These need to be submitted in advance.
National Records of Scotland forms
You should complete either the:
If you are a non-UK National, you should also complete the National Records of Scotland: Declaration of Status by Non-UK Nationals (PDF 130 KB).
If you had a divorce or dissolution outside the UK, you must also complete either the:
Additional documents
Along with your forms you should also submit the following additional documents:
- birth certificates for both parties, or adoption certificates if you were adopted
- passports or other documents to provide evidence of both parties nationality
- evidence of both parties usual residence, for example:
- utility bill no older than three months
- bank statement no older than one month
- most recent Council Tax bill
- valid UK driving licence
If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before you will need to submit either of the following:
- decree of divorce
- decree of dissolution
- decree of annulment
- certified copy decree
Please note a decree granted outside of Scotland must be absolute or final. A decree nisi will not be accepted.
If your former spouse or civil partner died, you’ll need to provide a copy of their death certificate.
Witnesses
You will need to arrange for two people to be present to act as witnesses to your marriage. The two witnesses must be aged 16 years or over and must be capable of fully understanding the proceedings.
Please complete our Witness Details Marriage Form (PDF 389 KB), providing the full names and addresses of both witnesses.
Non-UK National
If either party is a non-UK national, you can get married in Scotland. You may be subject to immigration controls.
You should:
- complete the declaration of status by non-UK nationals form
- provide any supporting documentation requested
The Home Office may investigate your proposed marriage or civil partnership if you:
Registrars have a duty to report any marriage or civil partnership they suspect has been registered for the sole purpose of evading statutory immigration controls.
Relevant national
A relevant national is someone who:
- is a British or Irish citizen
- has EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) settled status
- has EUSS pre-settled status
- has a pending application to the EUSS made before 30 June 2021
Appropriate immigration status
This is someone who:
- is exempt from immigration control
- has settled status in the UK
Relevant visa
This is a visa issued for the purpose of allowing entry into the UK for the proposed marriage or civil partnership. For example:
- marriage visitor visa
- civil partnership visitor visa
- fiancé visitor visa or spouse visa
How and when to submit your documents
An appointment should be made with the registrar to hand in Marriage or Civil Partnership Notice forms. This can be done in person, or someone can do it on your behalf.
A signed Marriage or Civil Partnership Notice form is only valid for three months. By law, the minimum period of notice that you must give the registrar before the date of your marriage is 29 days. We recommend submitting your forms around 10 weeks before the date of your proposed ceremony.
If any of the documents submitted are in a language other than English, a certified translation must be included.
All documents must be original. Photocopies are not acceptable.
After the registrar reviews your documents
The registrar will process your forms.
After making sure there are no legal restrictions, they will prepare either a:
- marriage schedule, or
- civil partnership schedule
Marriage or civil partnership schedule
You need a schedule for your ceremony or registration. You cannot proceed without one.
If you are having a civil marriage or registration the registrar will retain the schedule to be completed on the day of the marriage or registration. The schedule must be signed in best quality permanent black fountain pen ink by:
- both parties
- the registrar performing the marriage or civil partnership
- the two witnesses
The registrar will then register the marriage.
Religious or belief schedule
If you are having a religious or belief ceremony one of the parties to the marriage must collect the schedule from the registration office. The registrar will make arrangements with you regarding the collection of your schedule.
You must do this:
- no more than seven days prior to your ceremony, and
- no less than 29 days after your notice has been submitted
The schedule must be provided to the person performing the marriage or civil partnership before the ceremony can take place.
After the ceremony
Immediately after the ceremony, the schedule must be signed in best quality permanent black fountain pen ink by:
- both parties
- the celebrant performing the marriage or civil partnership
- the two witnesses
You must then return it to the registrar within three days so they can register the marriage or civil partnership.
This can be returned either by post or in person. Please see our registration office hours if returning your schedule in person.
After the marriage is registered you can obtain copies of your marriage certificate upon payment of the appropriate fee.
Fees
View our marriage and civil partnership fees.
Converting a registered civil partnership into a marriage
Guidance on how to change a civil partnership into a marriage can be found at National Records of Scotland: Change your civil partnership into a marriage.