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Marriage and civil partnerships in Scotland

Last updated
1 Jul 2022

Who can get married in Scotland

You can get married or get a civil partnership in Scotland if you're:

  • aged 16 or over
  • in an mixed sex or same sex relationship
  • not married or in a civil partnership with someone else
  • not closely related (see below for a list of relations you cannot marry)
  • capable of understanding what marriage means and of consenting to marriage

Relatives you cannot marry or have a civil partnership with

You cannot legally marry or have a civil partnership with a:

  • parent
  • child
  • grandparent
  • grandchild
  • sibling
  • aunt or uncle
  • niece or nephew
  • great-grandparent
  • great-grandchild
  • adopted parent or former adoptive parent
  • adopted child or former adopted child

Relatives you can marry or have a civil partnership with

You can marry or have a civil partnership with a:

  • child of former wife or husband
  • child of former civil partner
  • former spouse or civil partner of parent
  • former spouse or civil partner of grandparent
  • grandchild of former spouse or former civil partner

To do this you must:

  • be aged 21 or over
  • not have lived in the same house as the person when you were aged 18 or younger
  • not have been treated as a child of their family

Different types of ceremony

Couples in Scotland can choose to have either a:

  • civil, religious or belief marriage
  • civil partnership ceremony

Check with the religious or belief body that you intend to use to confirm that they can conduct your marriage or civil partnership ceremony.

There are different options if you want to change a civil partnership to a marriage.

How to get married or register a civil partnership

The National Records of Scotland website has more information about registering a marriage or civil partnership in Scotland.

Marriage or civil partnerships in Scotland if you live outside of the UK

If you live outside of the UK you may need to get a certificate from your country to say there's no reason why you cannot be married. You should check with the registrar if you are required to provide this certificate.

If required, you need to provide this to the registrar, along with your notice, at least 29 days before the wedding.

If the certificate is not in English you'll need to get a certified translation of the document.

If you cannot provide this evidence, you may not be able to marry or get a civil partnership in Scotland.

You do not need to get a certificate if you're a UK citizen living abroad.

Further information

There's more information about getting married in Scotland on the National Records of Scotland website.

Get information about marriages on your local council's website

Marriages and civil partnerships

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