The legal framework
The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 raised the minimum age to 18 in England and Wales from February 2023, abolishing parental consent at 16 and criminalising arranging a marriage of anyone under 18, including non-legally-binding ceremonies. Same-sex marriage arrived in England, Wales and Scotland in 2014 and in Northern Ireland in 2020.
Key points
| Age | 18 with no exceptions in England and Wales; 16 in Scotland without parental consent |
|---|---|
| Polygamy | Prohibited; bigamy is a criminal offence. A polygamous marriage validly contracted abroad may be recognised for limited purposes where neither party was domiciled here at the time. |
| Notice | 28 days at the register office; longer where immigration referral applies |
| Same-sex marriage | Available throughout the UK |
| Religious ceremonies | Only legally binding where the building is registered and an authorised person officiates |
| Witnesses | Two |
| Forced marriage | A criminal offence; Forced Marriage Protection Orders available from the court |
| Humanist marriage | Legally recognised in Scotland and Northern Ireland, not in England and Wales |
| Minimum age 18 | Raised in England and Wales in 2023; no parental consent exception remains |
| Notice period | 28 days, extendable to 70 days where immigration referral applies |
| Registered buildings | In England and Wales, non-Anglican religious marriages need a registered building |
| Scotland differs | Celebrants rather than buildings are authorised, and outdoor ceremonies are straightforward |
In practice
- Give notice in person at the register office of the district where you have lived for at least seven days.
- Bring identity documents, proof of address and, if previously married, decree absolute or death certificate.
- Non-UK nationals may be referred to the Home Office, which extends the notice period.
- Check that a religious venue is registered for marriages — otherwise you will need a separate civil ceremony.
- Give notice in the district where you live, in person, with original documents.
- If either of you is not a British or Irish citizen, allow for the longer notice period.
Cost and coverage
Notice and ceremony fees at the register office; approved premises charge their own fees.
Recent changes
The 2023 change made England and Wales one of the few jurisdictions with no exception whatsoever to the age of 18, covering religious and customary ceremonies as well as legal ones.
Where to go
- GOV.UK marriage pages and your local register office.
- Forced Marriage Unit for advice and protection orders.
- Citizens Advice for documentation questions.
Worth knowing
An unregistered religious ceremony — a nikah in an unregistered venue, for example — leaves you with no legal marriage and no financial claims on separation. This has affected very large numbers of people in the UK. A religious ceremony in an unregistered venue in England and Wales creates no marriage at all — not even a void one — which leaves no financial remedies on separation.
Official sources and links
- GOV.UK — official portal for public services and rights
- legislation.gov.uk — the statute book as enacted and revised