Giving notice of intention

You’ll need to book an appointment at a register office where you will declare who you intend to marry or form a civil partnership with, where the ceremony will take place and that you are legally free to get married or form a civil partnership. Your notice will be valid for 12 months.

You should give notice in the district where you live, not where the ceremony will be taking place. You'll need to demonstrate that you've both lived in the borough for at least nine days. 

When to give notice

This is a legal requirement which must be completed at least 29 days prior to the ceremony. In certain cases, depending on your immigration status, this may be extended to 71 days. Therefore, we advise that whenever possible you give notice at least three-six months prior to your ceremony.

You can only give notice after you've finalised your date and location. A notice of marriage is valid only for the venue named on the notice. While it may be possible to alter the date of your marriage, a change of location would require a fresh notice and fee. So make sure that you have booked both the venue for your ceremony and registrars before placing your notices of marriage.

What to bring

• Both of your passports
• Two original proofs of address each - this could be:
  • Your most recent council tax statement (within the last 12 months)
  • A utility bill from the last three months (not any kind of phone or broadband bill)
  • A bank statement (within the last month)
  • A mortgage statement (within the last year)
  • A valid driving licence.
• An interpreter over the age of 18 with identification, if you need one.

If you or your partner is from outside the EU, EEA or from Switzerland, you’ll also need to bring:

• a passport sized photo for each of you (even if only one of you is from outside the EU, EEA or from Switzerland)
• proof of your current immigration status (for example, your visa)
• a translation of any documents that are not in English

Please ensure that all documents are original and not emails, online statements or photocopies. If you bank online, you will need to go into your local branch and request a statement on headed or stamped paper.

If you've ever been divorced, widowed or changed your name, you will also need the relevant documentation, in English, for each of these events.

If either of you is under 18 at the time of giving notice, you must provide your full birth certificate, with a signed and dated third party translation provided if the document is not in English. Parental consent must be provided in the form of a letter or a Form 55 completed by all relevant parties.

Foreign nationals

Are you or your partner from somewhere outside of the UK, EEA or Switzerland? You will need some additional information, so please familiarise yourself with what you need to do to register before booking an appointment.

Fees

Make an appointment

Unfortunately, we are not able to accept walk ins, so don’t forget to make an appointment by emailing us at register.office@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

You can check our opening hours here.