Marriages & Partnerships
Your guide to getting married or forming a civil partnership in Somerset & North Somerset.
More Information
Find your essential ceremony planning guidance and forms here. We have also gathered answers to some Frequently Asked Questions, such as how to get copies of certificates, the minimum marriage age and how to get a CONI. If you can’t find what you need to know, just drop us a line and we’ll do our best to help.
Certificates
YOUR FIRST CERTIFICATE
Certificates are no longer written out at the end of the ceremony, so you don’t have to worry about losing it at the reception! We are now required to take the marriage schedule and enter it on to a central digital record system before certificates are created. You will receive your certificate in the post around 5 days later. Let us know in advance if you would like extra copies. You can pay for these when you pay your ceremony fees. You may order more copies later online once the details have been recorded. All our marriage or civil partnership ceremonies include one copy of your certificate in your fees.
Your certificate will show your legal names as they were on the day you married (eg John Smith and Jane Jones, not John and Jane Smith). It is up to you whether you want to change your name after your ceremony, and what that name will be.
CERTIFICATES FOR RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES
At your ceremony in a church or religious building you and your witnesses will sign a marriage schedule. Traditional register books have now been retired. This is called a marriage document if you marry in a Church of England church. You have 21 days after the ceremony to get the signed schedule or document to the registration service. After that it can be posted to our main Taunton office or delivered by hand to one of our local offices. Find address details on our Contact page. This is the responsibility of the clergy or authorised person at the church but they may ask you to arrange it. Do discuss this before the big day so you are clear what is going to happen. We will create the legal record of your marriage within 5 working days which allows us to create certificates on request. You can order and pay for a copy online via the link below after your ceremony has taken place and the document has been submitted.
CERTIFICATES FOR IMMEDIATE HONEYMOON TRAVEL
Please be aware that you will not have a certificate straight away. You may be planning a honeymoon that requires proof of marriage for a discount or because your destination requires you to be legally wed to stay together. Please check what will be acceptable documentation. You will be able to take a picture of the marriage schedule which may be acceptable in some cases, but it is not a legal document. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this new legislation. It’s applied nationally to all ceremonies in England and Wales.
ORDERING ADDITIONAL OR REPLACEMENT CERTIFICATES
You can order additional copies after the ceremony has taken place or a replacement of an old certificate issued in Somerset online or by post. The current cost for all replacement or additional certificates is £11 (£12.50 from 28th May 2024). We do not make an additional charge for postage. You can order marriage, civil partnership, birth and death certificates from the same portal on the Somerset County Council website. Click on the link below for more information and to access the order form.
Advice for non-UK citizens
Following Brexit, immigration legislation changes took place on 1st July 2021. This affects couples planning to marry or form a partnership where one or both are not UK citizens, do not have indefinite leave to remain or are EU/EEA citizens without settled status. EU citizens, along with other foreign nationals, are required to have a visa to get married or form a civil partnership in the UK. Please see the GOV.uk website for more details on the requirements.
If either one of you doesn’t have the required immigration status, you will need to attend a notice of marriage appointment together in a district where one of you has been resident for at least 7 days. You will need to email or phone your request for a notice appointment if you live in Somerset or North Somerset. Unfortunately these can’t be booked in using our online booking system. Please let us know details of your nationality, current immigration status, your intended ceremony date and venue and whether this has already been booked. The notice process can take up to 71 days, as details need to be referred to the Home Office to be checked.
The statutory costs for giving notice and dealing with foreign paperwork are a little higher than the basic fees. You can find details of the associated charges on our Costs page.
Getting Married Abroad
If you are planning a legal ceremony in another country then you will need to comply with the local legal requirements. These requirements vary from country to country, so you will need to do some research to make sure you have all the right documentation and cancomply with any residency rules. You can use the Getting Married Abroad tool on the gov.uk website to find out who you will need to contact for advice.
Certificate of No Impediment or CONI
You may need to get a Certificate of No Impediment, also known as a CNI or CONI. These are issued to British nationals at the local register office in the district where they live, in the same way that you would give notice for a UK ceremony. The documents that you will need to provide are the same as for giving notice. You can find an up to date list on our Giving Notice page. You will need to know the town and country where your ceremony will take place, with accurate spelling. The CONI will be issued after 28 days in the same way that marriage authorities are granted after giving notice. To book a CONI appointment, please email somersetregistrations@somerset.gov.uk with details of your plans.
You should check how long the certificate will be valid for in your destination country. You also need to know whether they will require you to contact the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for an apostille. This is a special certificate that makes documents from one country valid in another.
Recognition of foreign marriages
As long as you follow the requirements for the country where you have your ceremony and it is legally recognised by that government, then it should be legally recognised by the UK. You can only be registered as married in one place, so you cannot also have a legal ceremony here. However, we are very happy to offer blessing or renewal of vow ceremonies either before or after your overseas ceremony. This is ideal if you would like to celebrate with friends and family here. Just make a booking request via our contact page and we can run through next steps with you.
No Trace Of Marriage Document
You need to apply to the General Register Office (GRO) if you are moving abroad and need to provide an unmarried status declaration. They can issue a letter, known as a No Trace Of Marriage document. This confirms that there is no evidence of a marriage within a set period of time. You can contact GRO on 0300 1231 837 for information on requesting this document. It normally takes around 3 weeks for them to issue the letter. We regret that regional Register Offices are unable to issue these letters.
Minimum Age For Marriage & Partnerships
Changes to the law in early 2023 mean that the minimum age for entering in to a marriage or partnership is now 18. Previously it had been possible for individuals to marry from the age of 16 with parental consent. This is now no longer an option under any circumstances, regardless of parental consent. Marriages that took place between under 18s before that date are still legally valid. For more information, visit the government website.
Changing Names
It is entirely your decision what name you use after marriage or partnership. Your name won’t change automatically. Your certificate will show your names as you were legally known on the day of your ceremony. That was your identity at the time you formed that legal contract with each other. Both partners can keep their own names, change or combine their names. You don’t need a deed poll to take your spouse’s or civil partner’s surname. Just send a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate to record-holders such as the Passport Office, Benefits Agency or DVLA. Your documents will be updated for free. If you want to change your name to something completely different, you will need a deed poll. You can view a guide here on the Gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll
Changing Your Passport
If you’re going abroad on a honeymoon, you need to make sure the name on your passport matches your booking. You don’t need to change your name immediately following the wedding. It’s completely normal, and often much more convenient, to wait until after your holiday. You will need to send your certificate when you apply for a passport in your new name. You’ll also have to send your old passport which will be cancelled.
It’s possible to apply for a new passport up to 3 months before your ceremony to show your married name, if this is very important to you. Your old passport will be cancelled and your new one post-dated. You won’t be able to use it before the ceremony so it is advisable to give notice of marriage before you send off your documents. You will need to request documentation from the Registration Service as proof of your intended marriage to send in with your passport renewal. Please be aware that if your ceremony is postponed for any reason, this may complicate the matter.
Renewing vows
The Eternity Ceremony is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on your marriage or civil partnership and look forward to the future in the presence of your family and friends. It is available to any married or civil partnered couple who wish to renew their commitment in a joyful celebration. It is also a great alternative if you choose to have a small legal ceremony and want to celebrate later on with more family and friends – a very popular choice after covid restrictions!
The format is similar to a civil ceremony, and because it has no legal status we can be more flexible with the content. Our ceremony team will get in touch with you in advance to personalise your unique ceremony. Formal or relaxed, we can tailor the experience to suit your wishes. Our team of professional celebrants are experienced in conducting ceremonies and making each couple’s day truly special. Each ceremony lasts approximately 30 minutes depending on your requirements. The cost is the same as a wedding booking at one of our ceremony rooms or approved venues. Get in touch with our team to find out more by making a booking request on our contact page.
Wills – how are they affected by marriage or divorce?
When you marry or form a civil partnership, any will you already have becomes invalid. The exception to this is if you have made a will “in anticipation” which clearly states you will be marrying your named future spouse. Effectively, marriage and partnership trumps pre-existing wills.
What happens after you pass away without a new will depends on whether you have children. If you have none then your entire estate will pass to your surviving spouse. If you have children then the first £250,000 passes to your spouse, and anything above this amount is split between the spouse and children. This can cause real complications in the case of house ownership.
Similarly in the case of divorce, any gifts to the former spouse or appointment to roles of trustee or executor will automatically lapse after the decree absolute has been granted unless specific provisions have been made in the will. Before the decree absolute has been issued then your former spouse would receive any gifts stated in the will. This is the case even if you are separated and cohabiting with a new partner.
The short answer is that making a will and keeping it up to date is essential if you want to ensure your estate is handled according to your wishes. There are many charities who offer free or cheap will making services with special events through the year. This site has more details: Top free or cheap will-writing services – MoneySavingExpert
Re-registering your children after marriage or partnership formation
After you marry or form a partnership there is a requirement to re-register your natural children, if they were born in England or Wales. This will then show them to be children of your marriage or civil partnership. This does not apply to children where one of you is not the natural parent, e.g. adopted or step children. The new birth record replaces the original record and future birth certificates are issued from the new record. The new record is made at the register office for the district where your child was born (usually the register office which issued the original birth certificate).
The registration may be made by one of you attending either the original register office or by making a declaration at another register office in England or Wales. If you both live outside England and Wales or your marriage/civil partnership took place outside England and Wales you should submit your application to the GRO Casework Team. You can find more details along with the registration form you need to complete via this page on the Gov.uk website: Application to re-register a birth
