Marriage legal requirements

Giving Notice of your marriage

You must both complete and submit Marriage Notice forms, along with the required documents and appropriate fees, to the Registrar for the district where your marriage will take place.

You now have two ways to submit your marriage notice:

1. Submit your Marriage Notice online

You can now complete and submit your Marriage Notice forms digitally.
This includes uploading supporting documents and making payments online.

Give notice of your intent to get married

Please ensure you have all required documentation ready before starting the online process.

2. Submit Your Marriage Notice in person

If you prefer to submit your forms in person, you must book an appointment with one of our registration offices in Perth and Kinross.

All services are strictly by appointment only,  please do not travel to an office without an appointment, as staff may not be available to see you.  If you arrive late for your appointment it may be necessary to reschedule. 

Forms required

You should print and complete two Marriage Notice forms and one Witness Details form.

Forms are available from the National Records of Scotland.

Submission timescales

• Submit forms 12 weeks before your wedding date if possible.
• The legal minimum notice period is 28 clear days.
• Only in exceptional circumstances will the Registrar General approve a marriage with less than 28 days' notice.
• Marriage Notice forms are valid for 3 months from the date received.

Documents required

You must submit the following original documents:

• Birth certificate (for each party)
• A valid passport or other document to provide evidence of your nationality
• Proof of address (utility bill dated within the last three months or a valid drivers licence)
• If either of you are widowed: former spouse's death certificate
• If either of you were previously married: certified decree of divorce/annulment.  A decree of divorce granted outwith Scotland must be absolute and final, a decree nisi is not acceptable.
• For divorces from some countries a foreign divorce questionnaire may be required.
• If you are not British:
  • Certificate of no impediment from your home country stating you are free to marry
  • Declaration of Status by Non‑UK Nationals (must accompany your notice forms)
• Any non‑English documents must be accompanied by a certified English translation
• Appropriate marriage and civil partnership fees

For those subject to immigration controls, further guidance is available from the National Records of Scotland website.

The Marriage Schedule

The Marriage Schedule is the legal authority for your marriage to take place.

Civil Ceremony

The Registrar will bring the Schedule to your ceremony for signing.

Religious or Belief Ceremony

• One of the parties must collect the Schedule from the Registration Office within 7 days before the ceremony.
• It can only be issued to the bride or groom.
• After the ceremony, return the signed Schedule to the Registration Office within 3 days.

After the marriage is registered, your marriage certificate will be posted to you.

For further information please contact the Registration Service in Perth on 01738 475121 or by emailing perth-registrars@pkc.gov.uk.

Legal and privacy notices

Please review the following National Records of Scotland documents:

• Privacy Notice (PDF, 437 KB) - how we deal with your information
• Penalty Notice (PDF, 116 KB) - providing false information is an offence