The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 came into force on Monday 27 February 2023. The Act raises the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 years in England and Wales. This means from that date a person under 18 years of age will no longer be able to marry or form a civil partnership under any circumstances, including with parental or judicial consent.
Changes were introduced in England and Wales from 4 May 2021, that affect how all marriages are registered:
- The marriage register will be replaced by a marriage document or schedule
- Marriage certificates will no longer be issued immediately after the marriage ceremony: they will be issued by the register office in the district where the marriage took place, after the marriage has been entered onto the electronic register
- As well as father’s details being included on the marriage certificate, couples can now include mother’s details, and step-parent or other parent details.
Marriage will remain a verbal contract, formed when you say the legal words to each other in the presence of your witnesses and the registrars or religious officiant. At the end of the ceremony you will no longer sign the marriage register; instead you will sign a marriage document or schedule, which will be used to enter the information onto an electronic register. Only after this, can a marriage certificate be issued to you.
Church of England (CoE) marriage
For couples getting married in a Church of England church in Bromley, the vicar at the church where your marriage will take place will prepare a marriage document for you to sign at the end of the ceremony. This will contain the same information as a marriage schedule.
A marriage certificate will not be issued to you on the day of your marriage. It is the responsibility of your vicar to ensure that the marriage document is delivered to the register office within 21 days of your ceremony taking place. We will register your marriage within 7 days of receipt of the schedule. If you wish to have a marriage certificate, you will need to order this from the Register Office - one will not automatically be issued to you following the receipt of the schedule and the registration of your marriage. The statutory fee for a marriage certificate is £11. Certificates can be ordered online and will be issued within 15 working days of receipt of your order. If you have ordered certificates prior to the schedule being returned to us, certificates will be issued within 15 working days of the registration of your marriage.
There may be some circumstances where those marrying in a Church of England church are required to give notice of intention to marry, rather than having banns called. Your vicar will be able to advise you of this. In these circumstances you will need to follow the process for getting married in another religious building. (See religious marriage (non CoE). More information about getting married in a Church of England church can be found on the Church of England website.
Religious marriage (non CoE)
For those couples getting married in a religious ceremony at a non CofE church or other religious venues in Bromley, you will need to make arrangements with us for the collection of the marriage schedule which must be delivered to your religious officiant. If a registrar has been booked to attend your ceremony, the registrar will bring the schedule with them on the day. A marriage certificate will not be issued to you on the day of your marriage.
It is the responsibility of your religious officiant to return the schedule to the register office within 21 days of your ceremony taking place. We will register your marriage within 7 days of receipt of the schedule. If you wish to have a marriage certificate, you will need to order this from the Register Office - one will not automatically be issued to you following the receipt of the schedule and the registration of your marriage. The statutory fee for a marriage certificate is £11.
Certificates can be ordered online and will be issued within 15 working days of receipt of your order. If you have ordered certificates prior to the schedule being returned to us, certificates will be issued within 15 working days of the registration of your marriage.
More information about getting married in a church or other religious building can be found on the Government website.
Address for return of marriage schedule or document
Please ask your vicar or religious officiant to email us at registrars@bromley.gov.uk to arrange an appointment for the return of your marriage document.