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If you ’ ve been in a marriage or civil partnership before If you have been in a previous marriage or civil partnership , you will need to bring with you one of the following types of documentary evidence to show that the marriage or civil partnership has ended and that you are now free to give a notice of marriage :
• a decree absolute ( following divorce )
• a dissolution certificate ( from a previous civil partnership )
• a death certificate ( if your husband / wife or former civil partner has died ).
All divorce and dissolution documents must have the original stamp of the issuing court . Some overseas documents may have to be referred to the General Register Office for clearance ( with a certified translation , if appropriate ) and may take longer than the minimum 28 clear days notice period . A fee will apply to clear any foreign divorce .
If you ’ re under 18 or have changed your name If one or both of you are under the age of 18 years , or have changed your names , you will need to provide us with one or both of the following documents :
• evidence of change of name ( by Deed Poll / Statutory Declaration )
• parental consent , if under 18 years of age and not previously married or in a civil partnership .
Again , original documents are needed , photocopies are not acceptable .
Interpreters All ceremonies and registrations are conducted in English so if either one of you cannot speak or understand English then you must provide an interpreter . Please discuss this with the Registrar who takes your notice of marriage , to be sure the legal requirements are met .
Witnesses You will need two people to be your witnesses ; friends or relatives are fine but they must be over the age of 16 and able to understand the English language .
Foreign nationals If you are subject to immigration control , you will be required to give notice of marriage to a
Registrar at one of 75 designated register offices in England and Wales . You must attend the register office together ( in Scotland and Northern Ireland , all register offices are designated , and notice of marriage is normally given by post ).
If you do not have Indefinite Leave to Remain or a marriage visa you may be referred to the Home Office and your waiting period extended to 70 days . For detailed information about this , take a look at the UK Border Agency website : www . ukba . homeoffice . gov . uk
Fees
Fees for all weddings are payable 3 months before the ‘ Big Day ’. If you are getting married in less than 3 months , you will be asked to pay in full straight away .
Please refer to our terms and conditions : www . oxfordshire . gov . uk / registration
Payments can be made online or by card payment by telephoning 0345 241 2489 . Visa , Mastercard , Switch / Maestro and Delta are all accepted in our offices . Payment can also be posted to us at :
Oxford Register Office , 1 Tidmarsh Lane , Oxford OX1 1NS , with cheques made payable to Oxfordshire County Council .
A nationally set , non refundable fee is payable for each notice of marriage .
Marriage certificates can be paid for prior to or on the day of your marriage for a statutory fee ( the fee for certificates applied for after the marriage is higher , as a search fee is included ).
Commemorative certificates are also available . You can order and pay for copy certificates by calling 0345 241 2489 ( select option 5 ). Please note that a handling fee will be made for all credit / debit card payments .
For full details of fees and costs , please do not hesitate to contact us on our helpline on 0345 241 2489 or visit our website : www . oxfordshire . gov . uk / registration
Oxfordshire : The place to marry