Creating a record of the marriage in the UK

If your wedding will be in one of the countries from which the General Register Office (GRO) can accept formal notifications, a ‘record’ can be created for your overseas marriage any time after your wedding.

You need to give the marriage certificate and translations, if required, to your GRO in the UK.  Contact the British Embassy in the country you marry in to tell them you wish to deposit your marriage certificate (authorised by the local authority) with the GRO. Once they have received your documents you can request a copy of your marriage certificate, should you need it. 

If you have been asked to provide an Apostille – which is simply formal confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp appearing on a document is genuine – contact the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on 020 7008 1111 for full details including fees, or go to www.fco.gov.uk.

Always check the exact rules and regulations for the country you marry in during your planning. Some countries will only allow you to marry there if one of you is a resident, so make sure you check the small print! Some local authorities (Venice and Rome, for example) do make exceptions for foreign marriages.