If you have decided to marry or form a civil partnership abroad, you should contact the embassy or consulate in that country.
They will tell you the legal requirements and what you need to do.
Giving notice
Find out how much notice must be given from the country of your ceremony. Each country sets their own limit. We cannot give advice about timescales.
You also need to check if the country concerned requires you to have the document:
- legalised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- translated by an official translator
We are not able to give advice on this as each country is different.
Details of the documents required is on the giving notice page.
Where to give notice
If both parties are British nationals
You need to give notice in the district where you live.
Only one party is British
Only the British party must give notice if one party is British and the other is from a non-Commonwealth foreign country. They must do so in the district where they live. Normal residency requirements apply.