Registering a marriage takes a few different forms, depending on the type of marriage ceremony involved.
If the marriage is to be a civil ceremony, or a religious ceremony in a church other than a Church of England or Church in Wales, legal notice of the marriage must be given prior to the wedding, and a registrar or other authorised person must register the details in their register after the marriage ceremony.
If the marriage is to be a religious ceremony in a Church of England or Church in Wales, registration is usually by banns (or common licence) prior to the ceremony, and a vicar registering the details in his own register after the ceremony.
Giving notice
An appointment is required to give notice of marriage.
When you have chosen the date and the venue for the wedding, you must arrange to give notice in the Register Office of the district in which you live. If you and your partner live in different districts, each of you must give notice in your own district. You must have been resident in the district for at least seven days immediately prior to giving notice.
If you live in the Caerphilly county borough and would like to make an appointment to give notice, call 01443 863478 or email registrars@caerphilly.gov.uk.
Appointment are available during office hours. For office hours visit our Facilities and opening hours webpage.
It is not possible to give notice more than 12 months in advance of your wedding although it is possible for a provisional booking to be made, sometimes up to 2 years in advance of the date.
The notice is a legal statement, which must be signed by you; you cannot ask a friend or relative to give notice for you.
When you make an appointment to give notice, you will be advised what documents you will require (For example, passport, birth certificate, divorce papers …) A fee is payable to the Superintendent Registrar at the time of giving notice. Visit register office charges and fees for details.
Different rules apply to non-British or non-EEA persons. Please call the register office on 01443 863478 or email registrars@caerphilly.gov.uk for further advice.
Authority to marry
The purpose of giving notice is for the Superintendent Registrar to ensure you are lawfully free to marry and to complete the preliminary legal documentation of your marriage. On completion of the notice, the details (not including the date and time of your ceremony) are displayed publicly for 15 days and it should be noted that the marriage couldn't take place until after this time has elapsed.
Following this 15 days period you can collect your authority to marry from the local Registrar. If you have given notice in Caerphilly and are getting married here we will already have this document. However, if you have given notice in Caerphilly but are getting married outside of Caerphilly you will need to collect it from us and give the authority to the Superintendent Registrar in the appropriate district.
If you live outside Caerphilly but are getting married in the district you will need to collect it from the register office where you gave notice and bring it to us. Without this, we cannot marry you.