Getting married in York

You can choose to marry at the York Register Office or any other approved venue in York, or at a place of religious worship.

You can provisionally book the date and time with us, more than a year in advance of your proposed date, if you need to.

The procedure is very simple, whether you live in York or not. Contact us and we will be happy to advise you.

Please note, if you are a non-EU citizen, and subject to immigration control, the procedure is different. You can get more information from the Home Office Immigration website.

Any marriage taking place anywhere other than Church of England church, requires both of you to attend personally at the district register office where you live. If you live in separate districts, you must attend the office of each district. This is called 'giving notice of intention to marry'.

Giving notice of intention to marry

• You must both have lived a minimum of 7 days in a registration district in England or Wales immediately before giving notice at that office.
• You can give the notice a maximum of 12 months in advance of your marriage date, and a minimum of 15 days before.
• Both of you must attend to give a notice and this should be done by making an appointment to attend at the same time.

Fees

Some fees are set nationally by the Registrar General and are currently £35 each for giving notice. The fee to marry at a Register Office in England or Wales is £49 (£45 + £4 for certificate).

When making a provisional booking there is a non-refundable charge of £50. The £50 will be deducted from the fee for the ceremony.

From 1 January 2013 until 31 December 2013.

The register office is available Monday to Thursday and has a guest limit of 2 and costs £49. 

We also offer two rooms in the Bootham Suite:

• The larger room will seat 50 comfortably and costs £200 Monday to Thursday and £280 on Friday and Saturday.
• The smaller room is upstairs and has a guest limit of 8. It costs £110 Monday to Thursday and £150 Friday and Saturday.

The fee for attending approved venues is:

• £450 Monday to Thursday
• £525 Friday and Saturday
• £575 Sundays and Bank Holidays

This is in addition to the notice fee and is totally separate to any fee charged by the venue themselves.

Please make postal orders payable to 'City of York Council' or pay by card. We do not accept cheques.

Church of England

Couples who wish to be married in a Church of England church should contact the vicar of the church. There is no need to contact the Register Office.

Other places of religious worship

Couples should contact the minister or other person in charge of marriages at the building. It will be necessary to give notice of your intention to marry to the Superintendent registrar of the district in which you live. Both parties must give notice.

Documents you will need

• A current valid passport (or where appropriate, a Home Office Travel Document, a standard acknowledgment letter, or a National Identity Card). 
  If you cannot provide this then a birth certificate and another document with your full name such as a cheque book, cheque guarantee card, utility bill or driving licence (if you were born in or after 1983 please contact the Register Office for further advice) and a document to confirm your current address such as utility bill or driving licence.
• For people who have been married or entered into a civil partnership before; decree absolute, death certificate or dissolution of civil partnership.
• For people who have legally changed their name; documentary evidence in the form of a deed poll or declaration.
• In the case of any queries regarding foreign documents, please contact this office.
• All documents should be certified or sealed - photocopies are not acceptable.

If you are under 18 years of age you should contact the office in advance of notice to ensure that you provide the correct documentation.

A marriage cannot go ahead until the legal formalities have been completed.

Notice cannot be given on behalf of the person, or by post, phone, fax or email.