Marriage in Scotland
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 can't 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 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
- Lichenstein
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 can't 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 don't 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
Telephone: 0131 314 4447
Find out about call charges on the GOV.UK website.