Marriages

Getting married at an approved venue

You can marry at any approved venue in England or Wales. If you wish to do this, you should speak to the venue first about a suitable date, then contact us to check there is a registrar available to conduct the ceremony on that day. We can conduct a ceremony at an approved venue on any day of the week, subject to availability.

View approved venues in Enfield.

Any wedding ceremony at an approved venue will be a premium ceremony, which includes options for:

• the traditional bridal entrance
• separate pre-ceremony interviews
• your own selection of music
• your own choice of readings or poetry, which can be read by a family or friends

To view our list of fees see Enfield Register Office fees. All bookings are subject to terms and conditions.

We only accept payment by credit or debit card. Our fee for ceremonies at an approved venue is for the registrars to attend the ceremony. Venue costs, such as catering, will need to be arranged directly with the venue.

Getting married at a place of worship

You may wish to get married at a place of worship. The church or religious building where you get married must normally be in the registration district where you or your partner lives. This is unless:

• either or both of you usually go to worship in another registration district
• there is no building of your religion in the district where you or your partner lives

If you are marrying in a religious ceremony at a place of worship, you should speak to the person in charge to make your arrangements. You will only need a registrar to attend the ceremony if the place of worship does not have an approved person to complete the marriage paperwork. If this is the case, you will need to contact us to arrange for a registrar to attend on the day. You will then need to give notice.

Getting married at a Church of England or Wales church

To arrange a religious ceremony at a Church of England or Church of Wales church, you will need to speak to the vicar of the church. There is usually no need to involve the register office in any of these arrangements as the vicar will normally read the marriage banns. This is the equivalent of giving notice.

If either partner is a foreign national, the vicar will refer you to your local register office to give notice.

Getting married abroad

This process can become very complicated because marriage rules vary greatly from country to country.

In general, if you have decided to marry abroad you should first contact that country's authorities. They will be able to tell you what to do and what documentation you will need. You should check the documentation requirements very carefully, including when the documents are needed and how long they remain valid for.

You may need to provide a certificate of no impediment (CNI). British citizens who live in Enfield can request this from us by giving notice in the usual way.

If you are a British citizen who is marrying a foreign national abroad, the certificate cannot be issued until 28 days after you have given notice. It’s the same waiting period for 2 British citizens who are marrying abroad.

A certificate of no impediment cannot be issued if you're marrying in a Commonwealth country, or if you are not a British citizen.

For more information, visit GOV.UK - Getting married abroad.

Marriage schedules

Marriage schedules replaced marriage registers and certificates for marriage in 2021. It is a pre-printed document with details of the marriage on it that the couple and witnesses sign during the ceremony.

Getting married in England or Wales

You will need a marriage schedule to legally marry in England or Wales. The district of marriage will issue the marriage schedule, not the place where you gave notice of marriage.

Up to 4 parents' details can be recorded on the marriage entry for each partner, including adoptive or step-parents if preferred. You will be given the opportunity to check the details on the marriage schedule and make any amendments before you sign it.

Marriage certificates will be printed rather than handwritten. They will be issued after the ceremony and not at the time of the ceremony. You should take this into account if you are planning to travel straight after the ceremony.

The marriage schedule will have an expiry date. If you have not contracted your marriage before this date, you will need to give notice again and have a new marriage schedule issued.

Civil ceremony in Enfield

If you are getting married at The Admiral’s Suite, Gentleman’s Row, or an approved premise, you do not need to collect the marriage schedule as the registrar will take care of everything.

Places of worship

If you're getting married in a religious building, you will need to collect the marriage schedule before your ceremony takes place. The person conducting your ceremony will need this to legally marry you.

If either of you are subject to immigration control and your notices are referred to the Home Office, the person conducting your ceremony must collect the paperwork for you.

Marrying in Church of England or Wales

Instead of a marriage schedule, a marriage document will be prepared by the minister at the church where your marriage is taking place.

After the ceremony

Return the fully signed and witnessed marriage schedule to the same register office where you collected it from for registration. You have 21 days to do this.

For marriage documents, the officiating minister will forward the signed marriage document to the register office in the area where the church is located for you.

The register office will register your marriage within 7 working days of receiving the signed marriage schedule or marriage document. You can then order your marriage certificate.

More information

The General Register Office (GRO) publishes information and training for places of worship and the clergy:

• Authorised person newsletters
• Leaflet for the clergy (Church of England/Wales) (PDF)
• Marriage schedules leaflet (other than Church of England/Wales) (PDF).

Giving notice

Before you can get married, you must both ‘give notice'. This is a legal requirement and a formal declaration of your intention to marry. You are both required to give notice in person. If you are a British or Irish citizen living in Enfield you must give notice at Enfield Register Office.

Book an appointment for notice of marriage

British or Irish nationals who live in other districts must give notice in that district. This does not mean you cannot marry in Enfield or any other area of your choice. Before you give notice in Enfield, you must both have met the residential requirements or have lived in the borough for at least 8 days.

If you have made a successful application under the EU Settlement Scheme for settled or pre-settled status, or are awaiting a Home Office decision, you must give notice in your district of residence.

If one or both of you are from outside the UK, who are subject to immigration controls, you must both attend the notice appointment together at a register office in the district where one of you live.

If English is not your first language and you cannot speak English fluently, please bring an interpreter with you. This can be anyone of your choice, but you and your partner cannot translate for each other.

Your marriage can only take place at the venue you name when you give notice. If you wish to change the venue you will need to give notice again. If you are marrying in any religious building other than a Church of England or Church of Wales church, you are still both required to give notice.

You must wait at least 28 days after you have given notice before you can marry. If either of you are foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control, this waiting period may be extended to 70 days if the case is referred to the Home Office.

You can give notice up to 12 months before the date you are getting married.

At your notice appointment you will need to show the registrar a number of documents. These documents are required by law and it is your responsibility to bring everything you need. If we cannot take your notice, you may be asked to book your appointment again. There is a charge for each person to give notice and an extra charge per person if a referral to the Home Office is required.

We charge an extra fee to accept your documents if you have been married or have formed a civil partnership before, and your divorce or dissolution was granted outside the United Kingdom, Channel Islands or Isle of Man. The fee amount depends on whether we can verify and accept your documents or if we need to send them to the General Register Office. This fee is non-refundable.

To view our fees see Enfield Register Office fees. We only accept payment by credit or debit card.

Nationality and giving notice

If you are a European Economic Area (EEA) national, you are entitled to marry in England or Wales as long as you can successfully give notice of your intention. These countries form the EEA:

If an EEA national did not make an application under the EU Settlement Scheme on or before 30 June 2021, or had their application rejected, they are treated the same as foreign nationals.

British or Irish citizens, EEA and foreign nationals who match any of the following criteria can continue to give notice in their district of residence:

• They have been given the right to abode in the UK
• They are members of visiting forces from NATO and Commonwealth countries
• They are diplomats who are not subject to immigration control

You cannot give notice at Enfield if you do not live in the borough, unless the following applies.

You and your partner must give notice together at a register office in the district where one of you live, if either of you:

• are from outside the UK and have a form of 'indefinite leave to remain' or are subject to immigration controls
• are from the European Economic Area but do not have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or have an application for the EU Settlement Scheme pending

Documents to give notice

This section contains important information. Please read carefully.

It is your responsibility to bring the correct documents to your appointment. If you do not bring all the documents we need to see, you will not be able to give notice.

Anyone giving notice of marriage needs to bring the following to their appointment:

• A debit or credit card to pay the appropriate fee
• A recent passport sized photograph
• Proof of your current address. For this we will accept:
  • a UK driving licence
  • a current Council Tax bill
  • a recent gas, electricity or water bill dated within the last 3 months
  • a bank statement dated within the last month
• A valid passport (expired or cancelled passports are not accepted). If you do not have a passport, there are only limited circumstances where you can give notice. You will need to bring evidence of your name, age and nationality - please read additional guidance below 'what to do if you do not have a valid passport'.

If you are divorced or have a civil partnership dissolution, you will need to bring:

• proof of your divorce or dissolution. You will need original court documents. You can request a Decree Absolute or Dissolution Order from the court where the divorce or dissolution was granted. If you have a digital divorce, you will need to print out a hard copy of your digital divorce certificate and bring this with you.
• your original marriage or civil partnership certificate, or other documents giving a clear link to your name, if your name is different on your passport to that on your divorce or dissolution document

If you are a widow, widower or a surviving civil partner, you will need to bring:

• the death certificate
• your original marriage or civil partnership certificate

If you have changed your name by deed poll or statutory declaration, you will need to bring the official documents that confirm this.

If you have indefinite leave to remain in the UK, you will need to bring evidence of your immigration status or permanent residence . This would normally be a stamp or sticker in your passport, Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or eVisa.

EEA nationals

From 1 July 2021, all EEA nationals must bring confirmation of either a settled or pre-settled status. You will need to bring a 'share code' which you can get from the GOV.UK - view and prove your immigration status service, which will be valid for 30 days.

If you made an application to the EU settlement scheme on or before 30 June 2021 and are waiting for the Home Office to make a decision, you will need a share code to confirm you have a ‘certificate of application’. Paper certificates are no longer valid.

If you made your application after this date, or do not hold settled or pre-settled status under the scheme, please follow the guidance for foreign nationals.

Foreign nationals

In addition to the above documents, all foreign nationals must bring:

• evidence of their immigration status. From 31 December 2024 most BRP cards will expire. After this date, you will need to show us your eVisa by giving us a 'share code' which you can get from the GOV.UK - view and prove your immigration status service, which will be valid for 30 days.
• proof of their place of residence. This is where you have been living for at least the last 8 days before you give notice. This can be:
  • a UK driving licence
  • a current Council Tax bill
  • a bank statement dated within the last month
  • a gas, electricity or water bill dated within the last 3 months
• if you have been living with a friend or partner in the UK for the qualifying residency period, a letter signed by them confirming the date you started living with them and that this has been continuous
• if you have been living with a friend or partner in the UK for the qualifying residency period, proof of their address. This can be:
  • their UK driving licence
  • their current Council Tax bill
  • their bank statement dated within the last month
  • their gas, electricity or water bill dated within the last 3 months
• if you have travelled from abroad, your plane ticket, boarding card or travel itinerary
• evidence of your usual address if this is not in the UK
• a UK contact address if you usually live outside the UK

All your documents must be original. Photocopies will not be accepted.

For online documents, such as bank statements and utility bills, you may download your statement or bill and bring a hard copy print out. We will not accept any documents from a mobile device.

If any of your documents are not in English, a translation will be required together with the original document. The translation can be done by anyone apart from the couple to be married. We will only accept a translation made by an independent third party if they add their name and address to the translated document and write the words ‘I certify this is a true and accurate translation'.

What to do if you do not have a valid passport

British citizens without a passport

British citizens who do not have a valid passport need to bring evidence of their name, age and nationality.

If you were born in the UK before 1 January 1983, you should bring your original full UK birth certificate and one piece of identification with your photograph on it.

If you were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983, your birth certificate is not accepted as evidence of nationality. If your mother or father were born in the UK before 1 January 1983, their UK birth certificates can provide evidence of your nationality. You should bring:

• your original full UK birth certificate
• one piece of identification with your photograph on it
• your parent's original full UK birth certificate

To show British nationality through your father, he must have been married to your mother when you were born. You may need to show us their marriage certificate.

If you were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 but your mother or father were not born in the UK before this date, you cannot give notice without a valid passport.

Foreign, Irish or EEA nationals without a passport

Foreign, Irish or EEA nationals who do not have a valid passport need to bring evidence of their name, age and nationality. While other documents may be accepted as evidence of name and age, only a valid passport will prove your nationality. Therefore, it’s unlikely that you will be able to give notice unless you have a valid passport.

An eVisa issued by the Home Office is only accepted in place of a passport in very limited circumstances (if it states your nationality). From 31 December 2024 all Biometric Residence Cards will be replaced with an eVisa. We do not accept Asylum Registration Certificate cards or other letters from the Home Office.

EEA identity cards are not accepted.

If your passport has expired, you will need to apply for a new one. If it's currently with the Home Office, you will need to wait until it is returned before you can give notice.

Useful links

Here are links to other venues in Enfield where you can hold a civil marriage:

• Ark Royal
• Bush Hill Park Golf Club
• Capel Manor
• Forty Hall Park and Estate
• Meridian Grand
• Penridge Banqueting Suite
• West Lodge Park
• Forty Hall Banqueting Suite

Here are links to other websites you may find useful:

• Home Office - General register office
• Getting married