• Preliminaries to marriage vary according to the method of solemnization. This guide provides general guidance but if you need further information please contact a Registrar of Marriages in your district or the General Register Office in Belfast.
  • Notice throughout this guide means notice of intended marriage.
  • Fees payable are set out in the fees section.

Section E
Registrar's Office

1. A Registrar of Marriages is legally authorised to perform civil marriages. There is a registration office attached to each of the twenty-six District Councils in Northern Ireland. The address of the local Registrar can be found in the telephone directory under "Registration". The marriages must take place by Registrar's licence or Registrar's certificate.

   Registrar's licence

2. A Registrar's licence may authorise a marriage in his office or in a church or other building registered for marriages in the registration district, provided that at least one of the parties lives in that district.
3. If both parties live in the same Registrar's district
   • one party must have lived there for at least fifteen days and the other one for at least seven days immediately before notice is given to the Registrar of that district. Notice may be given by either party.
4. If the parties live in different districts
   • notice must be given to the Registrar of each district
   • both parties must have lived in their respective districts for fifteen days immediately before giving notice.
   • the Registrar within whose district the marriage is to take place must have received the certificate from the Registrar of the other district before he issues his licence.
5. The Registrar must in all cases send copies of the notice to the ministers of the places of worship usually attended by the couple, and to the minister of the church where the marriage is to be held.
6. The Registrar, seven clear days after the giving of the notice, and after administering an oath or declaration to one of the parties, may issue the licence. The oath or declaration includes a clause to the effect that one of the parties has lived within the district in which they intend to marry for fifteen days immediately before the grant of the licence.

   Registrar's certificate

7. A Registrar's certificate may authorise a marriage in his office or in a church or other registrered building in the registration district, provided that at least one of the parties lives in that district.
8. If both parties live in the same registration district
   • they must have lived there for at least seven days immediately before giving notice to the Registrar of that district. Notice may be given by either party.
9. If the parties live in different districts
   • notice must be given to the Registrar of each district
   • both parties must have lived in their respective districts for at least seven days immediately beforehand.
10. The same requirement applies in regard to the issue of copy notice as described in the section on "Registrar's licence".
11. After twenty-one clear days from the date that notice was given the Registrar may issue his certificate. Where notice was given in different districts a certificate must be issued by each Registrar.