Getting married in a church

Marriages in churches

A religious ceremony can take place at a church, chapel, or other registered religious building for worship and marriages.

Getting married in a church or religious building other than a Church of England 

• Firstly, contact the church or religious building where you want to be married and agree on the date and time of the wedding.
• The church or religious building will tell you to contact the register office to arrange to “give notice of marriage”. This is the legal process required to allow you to be married. Please visit our webpage to book your notice appointment.
• Most churches or religious buildings have their own “authorised person” to register marriages. If they do not, you will need to book a registrar. Please visit this webpage to enquire about booking a registrar.
• There is a statutory waiting period of 28 days after you have given notice of marriage. This period may be extended to 70 days by the Home Office is one of both of you are subject to immigration
• At the end of the waiting period, the register office will issue your marriage document.  This is the legal paperwork that allows you to be married.
• You will need to collect your marriage document from the Oxford register office and take it to the person who is marrying you.
• If you or your partner is subject to immigration control, your marriage document will be sent directly to your church or religious building.
• You, your witnesses, the person who is conducting your marriage and the authorised person/registrar will sign the marriage document on the day of the marriage.
• You will need to discuss with the church or religious building how your marriage document is to be returned to the register office.
• Once the register office has received your marriage document from the church or religious building, they will check it, and if all is correct, they will record the marriage on the national marriage register within 21 days
• Visit this webpage if you want to purchase marriage certificates
• You cannot obtain marriage certificates in person at the register office or by telephone.
• You can use your marriage certificate to inform people you are married It is also accepted as evidence of a change of name.

Getting married in a Church of England Church

• Firstly, contact the church where you want to be married and agree on the date and time for the wedding
• If you are both British citizens, Irish citizens or are EU citizens with settled status, the church will arrange for Banns to be called on three Sundays before the day of your ceremony, or for a common licence to be issued. There is no need to involve the register office.
• If one of you is not a British citizen, an Irish citizen or an EU citizen with settled status, then the church will refer you to the register office to obtain the legal permission to be married by ‘notice of marriage’ rather than ‘by banns’. Visit this webpage to book your notice appointment. You will be referred to the Home Office.  You can give notice no earlier than 12 months and no later than 70 days before the date of your ceremony. Notice appointments get booked up in advance, so we strongly advise you to give notice at least three months before the date of your ceremony
• The church will issue a marriage document which you, your two witnesses and the vicar will sign at the marriage ceremony.
• You will need to discuss with the church how your marriage document is to be returned to the register office.
• Once the register office has received your marriage document from the church, they will check it, and if all is correct, they will record the marriage on the national marriage register within 21 days
• Visit this webpage if you want to purchase marriage certificates
• You cannot obtain marriage certificates in person at the register office or by telephone.
• You can use your marriage certificate to inform people you are married. It is also accepted as evidence of a change of name.