Marriages
Coronavirus update
In response to COVID-19, we have cancelled all weddings and civil partnership ceremonies. We are unable to carry out ceremonies at Belfast City Hall, Belfast Castle, Malone House or at external venues. We are contacting any couples who this affects.
We are currently not taking any bookings for marriages or civil partnerships.
If you have any queries, please call our registration office on 028 9027 0455 or email registrar@belfastcity.gov.uk and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Marriage notices
We can only accept new applications for religious and humanist marriage notices by post at this time.
Please send your original completed marriage notice forms, along with relevant documents, to:
Registration,
Belfast City Hall
Belfast BT1 5GS.
We will accept photocopies of your birth certificates and passports. Contact us on 028 9027 0455 to discuss payment or you can send a cheque, made payable to Belfast City Council.
Please call 028 9027 0455 if you still need your schedule for a religious marriage.
If you have any queries, email registrar@belfastcity.gov.uk and provide a contact telephone number when possible. Or complete our enquiry form.
Arranging your day
If you plan to get married in Belfast, it is important that you read all of the information below.
Find out more:
Marriage notice
You must give a minimum of 28 days notice to get married. If you don't give 28 days notice, you may need to postpone your marriage. You can give notice up to a year before the date of your marriage. We recommend a period of 10 to 12 weeks notice for a religious or humanist marriage.
A religious ceremony may, with the agreement of the Officiant, take place anywhere in Northern Ireland. Services are conducted by authorised people, according to the relevant tradition.
If you are having a religious ceremony, you still need to give notice at the Registrar’s office in Belfast City Hall. If you are getting married in a different district, for example Newtownabbey, you will give notice in Mossley Mill. You can contact us for advice.
Once you have given notice, we’ll let you know when you can collect the schedule.
please contact us for availability and advice on ceremonies in our Registrar’s office in City Hall or at one of our approved venues,
Humanist ceremonies can only take place in a venue, which is approved by Belfast City Council (for example, a hotel).
If you are having a humanist ceremony, you still need to give notice at the Registrar’s office in Belfast City Hall if the approved venue is in the Belfast district.
Once you have given notice, we’ll let you know when you can collect the schedule. You can collect this and give it to the humanist celebrant.
Before
you can get married in Belfast, you and your partner need to complete a
marriage notice form and produce other essential documents.
This still applies if you are having a religious or humanist ceremony. You must get the marriage notice forms signed by the religious conductor. You can give notice up to one year in advance of your wedding.
Once the marriage has taken place, the schedule should be returned to
the Registration office within three working days for the marriage to be
registered. You can then purchase a copy of the marriage certificate
for £8.
If you're a non-EEA citizen, please read NI Direct's information on getting married in Northern Ireland.
The following documents must be provided by both you and your partner when returning your marriage notice forms:
- your full (long version) birth certificate
- your passport or national identity card - the Registrar can advise on alternatives if you do not hold either of these
- a consent form (if you aged 16 or 17)
- if
you have been married before and the marriage was dissolved, a
certificate of divorce or annulment or a certified copy decree (decrees
must be absolute or final)
- if you have entered into a civil partnership before, a court order of dissolution for that partnership
- if you are a widow, widower or surviving civil partner, the death certificate of your former spouse or civil partner.
More guidance
Please visit NI Direct's website for more guidance on marriage procedures.
Marriage fees
|
Wedding
|
Price
|
Religious wedding
|
£44 |
|
Civil wedding in Registrar's office (Belfast City Hall)
|
£180 weekdays
|
|
£306 Saturdays
|
|
£360 bank holidays
|
|
Civil wedding in an approved venue
|
£213 weekdays
|
|
£280 Saturdays
|
|
£312 bank holidays
|
|
Civil wedding in a venue of your choice
|
£213 weekdays
|
Plus £400 to apply for a temporary marriage licence
|
| £280 Saturdays |
| £312 bank holidays |