You will be given the opportunity of checking all the information regarding you and your partner before you sign the marriage register. You can tell the Registrar or clergyman at this stage if there is an error and it can be easily amended at this time. You will then sign that everything is correct and you will be given a copy of your marriage certificate.
However, if you find an error on your marriage certificate after the register has been signed, you should apply to the Register Office, church or other religious building where the marriage was registered in order to correct it. There is no charge for changing the marriage record, but there is a fee for providing certificates of the corrected record. You can buy these at any time.
You may have to provide evidence to support the reason for the correction. For example, if your date of birth is recorded incorrectly, then you will have to provide an original copy of your birth certificate as evidence. (And if you are a woman who has been previously married, you will also have to provide your subsequent marriage certificate(s) as well as your birth certificate). Any documents submitted which are in a language other than English or Welsh should be accompanied by a full translation.
All corrections must be authorised by the General Register Office (GRO) in Southport, so if you need the correction to be carried out quickly, make sure you leave plenty of time in order for the correction process to take place.
Who can correct an entry?
Once authorisation is obtained from GRO, the correction must be made in the presence of, either
- the parties who married, or
- the Superintendent Registrar and two credible witnesses.
Contact the Superintendent Registrar using the methods on the right for more information.
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