Civil Marriages in Scotland
Civil marriages in Scotland must take place at a location approved by the Registrar of Marriages. This may be an official "marriage room" or registry office, but there are also a large number of hotels and other locations which are approved.
It is also possible to apply for approval of any location, for example a private house, on a one-off basis. District Registrars enjoy quite a lot of autonomy and some are more generous than others with regard especially to granting licenses to conduct civil marriages to places other then registry offices.
Documentation Required
The following documents are required:
- Both parties to the marriage should complete and sign a Notice of Marriage, using form M10.
Download Form (PDF)
Download Notes for Completion (PDF) - A certificate of Freedom to Marry
In other words a Certificate of No Impediment. - Birth certificates
- If either party to the wedding is divorced, they have to present the Decree Absolute of their dissolved marriage. In addition divorced persons must complete and return this questionnaire.
- For widowed persons, the Certificate of Death of their late partner.
Issuing of a Marriage Schedule
Once all the documentary requirements have been met, the Registrar will issue a "Marriage Schedule". This is essentially your marriage licence and will be based on the information you provided when you submitted Form M10.
Both parties to the marriage, with their passports, must attend in person at the Office of the Registrar to collect the Marriage Schedule.
The Schedule cannot be collected more than seven days prior to the wedding and must be produced to the celebrant before the wedding can proceed.
Submission of Notice to Marry
While legally it is required that the registrar is given notice to of your intention to marry a minimum of 15 days before the planned date of the wedding, in practice it is a good idea to have applications in 4-6 week in advance to allow for any delays. It cannot be submitted more than 3 months in advance.
Notice is submitted using Form M10, which must be completed by both parties to the marriage. Forms are submitted to the registrar in the area where the wedding will take place.
There are no residency requirements and all documentation is submitted in English.
Registering the Marriage
Immediately after the wedding both parties, and their two witnesses, will sign the marriage schedule. This is then returned to the Registrar and a Certificate of Marriage is issued.
Fees
The following fees, in sterling, are payable:
Submission of Notice of Marriage: £20.00 (each)
Registry Office Wedding: £45.00
Marriage Certificate: £8.50
Thus a couple could get legally married for the bargain total cost of £93.50.