Getting married abroad

Getting married abroad

If you are planning to get married abroad (outside of England and Wales), you should contact the authorities of the country where you wish to marry to find out what procedures are required by the local authorities to ensure your marriage is legal. Some countries, require you to obtain a ‘certificate of no impediment’ from your local register office. Please check on the GOV.UK website to learn what arrangements are required for your chosen country. 

You can only obtain a certificate of no impediment from your local register office by attending a notice of marriage appointment. The requirements are:

• you are a British citizen. Non-British citizens should contact the embassy of their nationality for advice.
• the overseas authorities have asked you to obtain a certificate of no impediment
• your marriage is taking place in a foreign country, but not a commonwealth country or the Irish Republic
• you have lived in the district where you are giving notice for eight nights immediately prior to giving notice or marriage. This is known as the residency requirement

For further information and to book a certificate of no impediment appointment at a register office in Oxfordshire, please visit our give notice of marriage web page. 

Collecting your Certificate of No Impediment 

• There is a statutory waiting period of 28 days after you have given notice of marriage.
• At the end of the waiting period, the register office will issue your certificate of no impediment.   
• You will need to collect your certificate impediment from the Oxford register office. You should check it carefully before leaving the register office, as it is not possible to make any corrections after you have left the building.
• The certificate of no impediment will be in English. If you find you need a translation, we cannot arrange this for you, but you may find the link below useful.
  • Find a qualified translator

Getting your Certificate of No Impediment legalised 

The country where your marriage will take place may require your Certificate of No Impediment to be issued with an 'Apostille' or legalisation stamp. This stamp, issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, confirms that the document is genuine. You should check whether this requirement applies and allow sufficient time for the process to be completed. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is based in Milton Keynes and accepts documents only by post or courier.

If you are planning on getting married abroad, you should note:

• You cannot be legally married again in England or Wales, as you can be married only once.
• There is no facility to register a marriage that took place outside the UK; it will have been registered in the country where the ceremony took place.
• You should obtain marriage certificates before returning to the UK. If you need additional marriage certificates when you return to the UK, you will need to contact the embassy of the country where you were married.