The Legal Preliminaries
A Notice is the legal document which allows you to enter into a marriage or civil partnership. Both partners must give a valid Notice of their intention to marry or form a civil partnership, in person at the Register Office located in the district where they reside.
For example if one partner lives in Liverpool, the other lives in Blackpool and they are having their ceremony in Leeds, the partner residing in Liverpool must give notice at Liverpool Register Office and the partner residing in Blackpool must give notice at Blackpool Register Office. The Leeds Register Office would need to be contacted in the first instance to ensure date, time and staff availability for the ceremony.
If you are physically unable to attend the Register Office, use the contact details on the right to arrange for the Superintendent Registrar to visit you at home or the premises where you are detained. The fee for Giving Notice in this way is slightly more than the normal Notice fee.
For our up-to-date fees, click on
Register Office Fees.
Use this DirectGov link to
Search for your local Register Office.
It is your responsibility to ensure that all the following legal preliminaries are completed and to produce all the necessary documents, therefore you will need to consider the following points before making your appointment to Give Notice at Blackpool Register Office.
1. Do you, or does the owner of the property where you reside, pay Council Tax to Blackpool Council?
2. You should have resided at your present address in Blackpool for at least seven complete days. (If you have recently moved, for example on the 1st May, then the date after you moved in is classed as your first complete day of residence. This would enable you to give notice on the 9th May).
3. The earliest date you can give notice is one year prior to your proposed ceremony day (for example, if you intend to marry or form your civil partnership on 14th February 2013, the earliest date for giving notice would be 14th February 2012).
4. The latest date for giving notice is 16 days prior to your proposed ceremony day, provided your local Register Office is open for notice taking and has an available appointment. Please note: It is always advisable to give notice as early as possible before your ceremony day. If you cannot produce the required documentation at the time of your appointment, you will not be able to go ahead with your ceremony 16 days later.
5. You will need to have decided upon a definite venue for your ceremony as the Notice is valid for a specific venue only. If you change your mind you will have to Give Notice again and pay another Notice fee.
6. Are you legally free to marry or form a civil partnership at the time of Giving Notice? For example, has your Decree Absolute been issued from your former marriage?
7. Do you posses all of the relevant documents which you will need to show the Superintendent Registrar? You will need to show proof of your:
- Identity
- Age
- Nationality
- Place of residence
- Marital status
Click on the FAQ: What documents do I need to bring with me when I give Notice?
8. Are you and your partner both British subjects born in the UK? If not, were you born in a European Economic Area (EEA) country?
If you are not British and are not a member of the EEA, then you are subject to immigration control and you will need to give notice at a Designated Register Office, the nearest being in Blackburn. For more information click on the FAQs: Can I get married or form a civil partnership if I am subject to immigration control? and What is a designated Register Office and where is the nearest?