General Register Office - A Guide for Authorised Persons - Issued: 2012 - Last Updated: January 2025

Sep 24, 2026

A procedural guidance booklet for authorised persons attending marriage ceremonies at registered religious or approved premises, outlining appointment requirements, roles and responsibilities, and legal duties. It covers preparations and preliminaries for marriage, including relevant national requirements, restrictions, access, witnesses, notice procedures, and venue arrangements. It also addresses same-sex marriage registration and civil partnership arrangements, plus pre-ceremony checks, forced or sham marriage considerations, and the completion, signing, and correction of marriage schedules.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time11 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

Roles and responsibilities of an Authorised Person

Marriage of same sex couples

Civil Partnerships in religious premises

Civil partnership conversion into marriage

Missing or stolen safe

Ink

Disuse of building registered for religious worship

Leaving office

Change of contact details

2. Marriage Preliminaries

General information

Relevant National

Hours of marriage

Restrictions on marriage

Access

Witnesses

Giving notice of intent to marry

Place of marriage

Marriage by Registrar General’s Licence

Marriage of housebound and detained persons

Two marriage ceremonies on the same day

Religious ceremony after a civil marriage

Re-marriage

Parental names

3. Solemnization of Marriage

Superintendent registrar’s schedule for marriage

Pre-marriage questions

Forced marriages

Sham marriage

Mental capacity

The ceremony

Declaratory and contracting words

Welsh translations

4. Completing and signing the schedule

Errors found before the ceremony

Signing the schedule

Illegible signatures

Return of the completed schedule to the local register office

Filled register books and searching and Issuing certificates

Examples of marriage schedules

5. Corrections

Types of correction

6. Offences and Penalties

Appendices

Appendix A: Flow Chart-Guide to Marriage Preliminaries

Appendix B: Flow Chart-Pre-marriage Checks

Appendix C: Useful Contact Details

Appendix D: Examples of Documents and Forms

Appendix F: Form acknowledging the solemnisation of a marriage

General Register Office A Guide for Authorised Persons General Register Office Issued: 2012 Last Updated: January 2025 CONTENTS 1. Introduction 3 • Roles and responsibilities of an Authorised Person 4 • Marriage of same sex couples 4-5 • Civil Partnerships in religious premises 5-6 • Civil partnership conversion into marriage 6 • Missing or stolen safe 6-7 • Ink 7 • Disuse of building registered for religious worship 7 • Leaving office 7-8 • Change of contact details 8 2. Marriage Preliminaries • General information 8-9 • Relevant National 9 • Hours of marriage 9 • Restrictions on marriage 9 • Access 9 • Witnesses 9-10 • Giving notice of intent to marry 10-11 • Place of marriage 11 • Marriage by Registrar General’s Licence 12 • Marriage of housebound and detained persons 12 • Two marriage ceremonies on the same day 12 • Religious ceremony after a civil marriage 12 • Re-marriage 13 • Parental names 13 3. Solemnization of Marriage • Superintendent registrar’s schedule for marriage 13-14 • Pre-marriage questions 14-15 • Forced marriages 15-16 • Sham marriage 16-17 • Mental capacity 17 • The ceremony 18 • Declaratory and contracting words 18 • Welsh translations 18-19 4. Completing and signing the schedule • Errors found before the ceremony 19 • Signing the schedule 19-20 • Illegible signatures 20 • Return of the completed schedule to 20-21 the local register office • Filled register books and searching and Issuing 21 certificates • Examples of marriage schedules 21 5. Corrections • Types of correction 6. Offences and Penalties Appendices Appendix A: Flow Chart-Guide to Marriage Preliminaries Appendix B: Flow Chart-Pre-marriage Checks Appendix C: Useful Contact Details Appendix D: Examples of Documents and Forms • Superintendent Registrar’s Schedule for Marriage • Instructions on reverse • Completed schedule • Manual amendment to schedule • Marriage entry following amendment • Certificate of No impediment (Scotland) Appendix F: Form acknowledging the solemnisation of a marriage 22 22 23 24 2526-31 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 1. Introduction 1.1 This booklet has been designed to provide you with guidance in your role when attending marriage ceremonies. We hope you will find it helpful; if you have any queries please contact your local superintendent registrar or the General Register Office (GRO) . Contact details are on page 25. Roles and responsibilities of an authorised person 1.2 Before you start your duties as an authorised person, you must have been appointed by two trustees or members of the governing body of the building. They will need to complete the form entitled“Authorised Person – Certificate of Trustees or Governing Body”(AP1 and supporting guidance notes AP1G) and send it to GRO. The forms, including Welsh versions, can also be downloaded from [gov.uk](gov.uk) via the links below LinkAP1 Link Welsh AP1 LinkAPG1 Link Welsh APG1 1.3 A registered building may have more than one authorised person. The “responsible authorised person” will be the first point of contact for GRO and has a responsibility for the completion and return of the marriage schedule. The trustees or governing body may also appoint a number of “additional authorised persons. 1.4 All authorised persons are responsible for ensuring that the legal requirements of marriages solemnized in a registered building are met; this includes marriage preliminaries and the signing of the marriage schedule and the return of the marriage schedule to the local register office. 1.5 You will normally attend a marriage at the registered building to which you have been appointed; however, you may also attend at another registered building, provided that it is in the same registration district as the building to which you have been appointed. Marriage of same sex couples 1.6 Before a marriage of a same sex coup

FAQs

How is an authorised person appointed for marriage ceremonies?

An authorised person must be appointed by two trustees or members of the governing body of the building. They complete the relevant form (AP1 and supporting guidance notes AP1G) and send it to the General Register Office (GRO).

What must be in place before a same-sex marriage can occur in a registered building?

The building must be registered for that purpose. If it is already registered for opposite-sex marriages, the proprietor or trustee can opt in by completing the further application (Forms 78 and 78A) with required consents and an additional fee.

What are the key responsibilities regarding the marriage schedule?

Authorised persons must ensure legal requirements are met, including completing, signing, and returning the marriage schedule to the local register office. They must also handle any required corrections and follow the relevant procedures for schedule completion and return.

Sep 24, 2026

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