Premise Approval For Marriage Or Civil Ceremonies

Licence Summary

To hold a civil ceremony or wedding at premises in England or Wales, the premises must be approved by the local authority.

You must be the proprietor or a trustee of the premises to apply for permission to hold civil ceremonies or weddings.

The venue must be:

• A permanent structure and not a temporary building

• Not be currently or have been previously used as a venue for Religious Marriages and/or Worship

• Available for both Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships

• Be a safe and accessible place for Registrars and members of the public

Regulation Summary

Copies of relevant legislation can be found on the legislation.gov.uk website.

Application Process

See our Licensing Fees and Charges webpage for a full list of application fees.

The application must be in writing (including by electronic means) and include:

• the name and address of the applicant

• such other information as the local authority requires

• plan of the premises which clearly identifies the room or rooms in which the proceedings will occur

Your application and plan will be under consultation for 28 days and will be made available to the public for inspection. We will place a notice of the application on our website as part of a public consultation process.

To be granted your application must be in the correct format and your premises deemed suitable.

However your application may still be refused if it is felt that there are too many approved premises in the area for the registrars to attend.

The Registrar General may issue guidance to local authorities to assist them in making their decision.

It is our aim to complete the application process within 30 working days (subject to a satisfactory consultation within this period).

If your application is successful your licence will run for five years from when it is granted.

How To Apply

To apply for an Approval of Premises For Civil Marriage and Civil Partnerships please complete the appropriate form below. 

Contact us about approval of premises for marriage or civil ceremonies

Guidance Notes

To view guidance documents please select the appropriate link below:

Civil Marriage and Civil Partnership Policy

Additional Information Relating To Approval Of Premises

Will Tacit Consent Apply?

Tacit consent means that if we have not dealt with applications within the target period then the application can be deemed to have been granted/approved.

Please note that tacit consent does not apply in respect of this application. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period, please contact us. You can do this online if you applied through the UK Welcomes service or contact us.

Licence Holder Redress

Please contact your Local Authority in the first instance. You have the right to seek a review of the local authority's refusal to grant your application. You have the right to seek a review of the local authority's imposition of conditions, refusal to renew or revocation of approval. You must deliver your request for review to the proper officer of the local authority, accompanied by any requested fee.

Consumer Complaint

We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first contact is made with the trader by you, preferably in the form of a letter (with proof of delivery). If that has not worked, if you are located in the UK, visit our Consumer pages or Gov.uk for advice. From outside of the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.