Marriage and civil partnerships in Scotland

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

aged 16 or over
in a mixed sex or same sex relationship
not married or in a civil partnership with someone else
not closely related
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
adoptive 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 that the religious or belief body you want to use 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 in Scotland

The National Records of Scotland website has information on:

You can get information about arranging a marriage or civil partnership in your area from your local council.

Marriages and civil partnerships

Getting married or registering a civil partnership in Scotland 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 give 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.

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