Guernsey - Apply to Get Married

Advertisement

Procedure

Giving Notice of Marriage:

You may not give Notice of Marriage more than three months before the ceremony, but it is recommended that you contact the Registry team at the Greffe as soon as possible after you have decided to be married so that you can be advised on the type of Notice of Marriage that will be appropriate to your circumstances and so that a provisional date and time for it can be arranged. When giving Notice of Marriage, both parties to the marriage must visit the Office of HM Greffier at the Royal Court in person.

Note: You must make an appointment to give Notice of Marriage by contacting the Registry team by telephone.

For the Notice of Marriage, each party to the marriage will need to provide the following information:

• Surname and Christian name(s)
• Age
• Marital Status
• Rank, state or profession
• Residence and length of residence
• Name and profession of father

Marriage Ceremony:

Civil marriages can take place at the Royal Court, at St James Concert and Assembly Hall or, in the case of local residents, at any private house (for which a Special Licence will be issued). The marriage room at the Royal Court will accommodate approximately 25 people. Greater capacity is available at St James Concert and Assembly Hall.

Whether you are marrying in a religious or a civil ceremony, you must ensure that two witnesses, aged 18 or over, attend your ceremony and sign the marriage register.

Advertisement

Required Documents

Each party will need to provide their full birth certificate and, if married before, a copy of the Final Order of Divorce (Decree Absolute) or a copy of the death certificate of their spouse.

Office Locations & Contacts

H.M. Greffier, The Royal Court House, St Peter Port, GY1 2NZ
Telephone: +44 (0) 1481 725277
Fax: +44 (0) 1481 715097
Email: [email protected]

H.M. Sheriff and H.M. Sergeant, The Royal Court House, St Peter Port, GY1 2NZ
Telephone: +44 (0) 1481 711281
Fax: +44 (0) 1481 710052
Email: [email protected]

The Royal Court building is open from 8.45am till 5pm.
The public counters of H.M. Greffier and H.M. Sheriff are open on weekdays between 9am and 4pm.

Eligibility

Provide eligibility criteria's for going through this procedure.

Fees

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

Civil Marriages and Non Church of England Marriages: You will need to apply for a licence or a special licence issued at the Registrar-General's Office. The circumstances under which a certificate, a licence or a special licence are needed will vary, but depend largely on your period of residence in Guernsey. Get in touch with the Registry team at the Office of HM Greffier to know more.

If you are not ordinarily resident in Guernsey, but intend to get married in the Island, you will also need to contact the Registry Team at the Office of HM Greffier.

Required Information

Notice of Marriage:

• Surname and Christian name(s)
• Age
• Marital Status
• Rank, state or profession
• Residence and length of residence
• Name and profession of father

Need for the Document

You can get married in Guernsey either by holding a religious ceremony or a civil one.

To those who are intending to get married in a church of the Church of England, no reference to the Registrar-General at the Greffe is required. The minister of the Church who will be officiating the ceremony will be the one making all arrangements. You may contact the Ecclesiastical Court in case you have any question. After your marriage has taken place, the minister will notify the Registrar-General of your marriage.

If you would like to get married in a civil ceremony or in a non-Church of England church, the first thing that you must do is obtain a licence from the Registrar-General.

Information which might help

Her Majesty's Greffier is the Registrar-General of births, deaths and marriages and is authorised to licence and supervise civil marriages.

The Registry team at the Greffe duties includes:

• Maintaining a record of all births in Guernsey and providing birth certificates
• Maintaining a record of all deaths in Guernsey, after examining the associated certification, and providing death certificates
• Liaising with the Law Officers of the Crown whenever the circumstances of a death suggest that further enquiries may be necessary
• Liaising with the Director of Public Health, hospitals and other health professionals to ensure that all births and deaths are promptly declared
• Conducting interviews with couples planning to marry and advising them on the associated requirements
• Performing civil marriages, either at the Court Building, at St James Concert and Assembly Hall, in private residences or at any Church or Chapel

Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9am and 4pm.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

http://www.guernseyroyalcourt.gg/article/1914/Marriages

Others

More information which might help people.