Marriage

How do I obtain a copy of my marriage certificate?

I was married in the Westminster, Paddington or Marylebone Register Offices

The certificate can be obtained from the register office in which the marriage took place. If the marriage took place in the Westminster Register Office you can apply for the certificate either in person or by post.

If you apply in person you simply attend the office between 9:00am and 4:00pm Monday to Friday. You complete an application form at our reception desk and submit the appropriate fee. If you have provided the correct information you will normally get the certificate within 4 hours of completing the application form. Please note that applications received after 12:00pm will be ready to collect the following day or, if you wish, we can post the certificate to you.

If you apply by post you simply send a brief letter setting out the full names of the parties married, the date of marriage and the name of the building in which the marriage took place. You will need to enclose a cheque or postal order made payable to “City of Westminster” for the statutory fee of £7.00. The certificate will be sent out within 3 working days of us receiving your application. Please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope with your application.

If you are writing from abroad payment has to be made in the form of an international money order expressed in Pounds Sterling.

Alternatively, payment can be made by Credit or Debit Card for marriages registered more than eighteen months ago. In this instance you may obtain the certificate directly from the Registrar General’s Office. A credit or debit card number must accompany a phone or email message, quote card type; expiry date and card number. Telephone: 0845 603 7788 or click here to access their site.

I was married in a religious building (Church, Synagogue, Temple)

If you were married in a Church of England Church the vicar would have acted in the capacity of registrar and would have registered the wedding. You can always obtain a certificate from the church in which you were married as they always keep one copy of the two marriage registers you would have signed. The other copy is sent to the Register Office of the district in which the church is located once it is full. If the church is located in Westminster and the register has been completed you can obtain a copy from Westminster Register Office, Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5PT. If the registers have not been completed, you can only obtain certificates from the church. You should phone the Westminster Register Office on (020) 7641 1161, before applying to check where the register is held.

Other places of worship may also have a person appointed who acts in the capacity of civil registrar at the time of marriage. This person is known as an Authorised Person. A copy of the marriage certificate can be obtained as described in the paragraph above.

In cases where a church has not appointed an Authorised Person a registrar from the Register Office in which the church is located must attend and register any marriage taking place there. In these circumstances a marriage certificate can always be obtained from the Register Office in which the church is located.

If the marriage took place in a Synagogue, or any other location according to the Jewish religion, the Secretary of the man's Synagogue would have responsibility for the registration. A copy of the marriage certificate can be obtained from the Synagogue, which may not necessarily be in the district in which the marriage took place. If the registers relating to the year of the marriage have been completed the certificate can also be obtained from the Register Office of the district in which the Synagogue is located.