Marriage in Scotland

Getting married during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Where you can get married

You can get married inside or outside at a public venue such as a hotel, register office or a place of worship.

You can also get married outside in a private place such as a garden outside your home.

Number of people who can be there

The number of people depends on the protection level where you're getting married.

Protection level 4

Up to 5 people (6 people if you need an interpreter).

The rules for protection level 4 are:

• numbers include the couple, 2 witnesses, the person doing the ceremony and an interpreter if you need one
• these can be from any number of households
• you cannot have other guests there
• there's no exceptions to the rules for children
• there's no exceptions to the rules for photographers
• everyone should follow physical distancing rules

Protection levels 1, 2 and 3

Up to 20 people.

Protection level 0

Up to 50 people.

The rules for protection levels 0 to 3 are:

• numbers include the couple, witnesses, guests and anyone employed by the couple, such as a photographer
• numbers include any children
• it does not include the person doing the ceremony or staff at a venue
• everyone should follow physical distancing rules
• there's no limit on how many households can attend

Check the protection level of an area.

Marriage inside a private place

You cannot get married inside a private place such as your home or hired holiday accommodation.

This is unless the marriage ceremony cannot happen in a public place. This could be because:

• one of the couple is seriously ill
• a disability stops one of them from attending a ceremony somewhere else

In this situation, the number of people there should be the minimum. This means:

• the couple getting married
• the person doing the ceremony
• the 2 witnesses
• any interpreter who is needed

These limits only apply to the marriage ceremony.

Marriage reception

Different rules apply to gatherings before or after the ceremony. For example, a reception.

The number of people who can go depends on the protection level where you're having the reception.

Protection level 4

You cannot have a reception.

Protection levels 1,2 and 3

Up to 20 people.

Protection level 0

Up to 50 people.

The rules for protection levels 0 to 3 that allow a reception are:

• the reception must take place in a regulated venue such as a hotel or restaurant
• if the reception takes place somewhere else such as someone's home or garden the limits on household meetings apply

Check the protection level of an area.

You should also check travel restrictions that may affect your plans.

You can get further guidance on marriages during coronavirus on gov.scot.

Further information

You can also check the timetable for easing covid restrictions on gov.scot.

Who can get married in Scotland

You can get married in Scotland if you're:

• aged 16 or over
• in an opposite 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

Different types of marriage ceremony

There are 2 different types of marriage ceremony you can have in Scotland:

• civil ceremony – can take place in a registration office or anywhere agreed with the registrar, except religious premises
• religious or belief ceremony – can take place anywhere by someone approved to conduct a ceremony

Check with the religious or belief body that they will marry you.

How to get married

You both need to complete and return a Marriage Notice form (tells the local registrar you want to marry).

You need to return your forms and any other documents needed to the registrar at least 29 days before your wedding.

Religious or belief ceremonies

If you're having a religious or belief ceremony you'll also need to collect the 'marriage schedule'.

A marriage schedule is a form you sign during your wedding ceremony.

You can collect this from 7 days before your wedding. You or the person you're marrying will need to collect it in person.

The marriage schedule needs to be returned to your local registrar after your wedding. You can send it by post. You must do this within 3 days of your ceremony.

Declaration of immigration status

You'll also need to complete and return a declaration of immigration status form if you're not from:

• the UK
• the European Union
• Switzerland
• Iceland
• Norway
• Liechtenstein

Forms

If you have any problems with the online forms, you can get them from a registration office. You can find a list of all the registrars in Scotland on the National Records of Scotland website.

Getting married in Scotland if you live outside of the UK

If you live outside of the UK you need to get a certificate from your country to say there's no reason why you cannot be married. This needs to be given along with your marriage notice to the registrar 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.

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.

If you're not sure what you need to do, you can contact:

National Records of Scotland
Marriage/Civil Partnership Section
Room 38
New Register House
3 West Register Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3YT

Email: marriage@nrscotland.gov.uk

Phone: 0131 314 4447

Find out about call charges on the GOV.UK website.