Religious ceremony
You can have a religious marriage ceremony in a place of worship, such as a church, temple or mosque, which holds a licence for marriage.
Civil ceremony
You can have a civil marriage or partnership ceremony in any approved venue, including the Bristol Register Office at the Old Council House.
You don't have to live in Bristol to have your ceremony here.
You need to contact your chosen venue directly to book your ceremony.
From 1 July 2021, your ceremony can take place at the approved venue or in outdoor areas within the boundary of the land belonging to the venue. It cannot take place on a land belonging to the venue but located in a different place.
Contact the venue as soon as possible if you plan to have your ceremony outside. All ceremonies taking place in the Old Council House will remain indoor only.
A civil marriage or partnership ceremony is performed by two registrars.
Once you've provisionally booked your venue, call us on 0117 922 2800 to book the registrars for your chosen day and time.
You should book the registrars as early as possible. You can do this up to two years in advance. You'll have to pay registrar fees, including a booking fee if you book before you give notice.
If your ceremony is at the Bristol Register Office, you don't need to book registrars separately. We'll book the registrars when you book the ceremony.
You must attend the Register Office to sign a legal statement to say you intend to get married or form a civil partnership. This is known as giving notice'.
If you are having a ceremony in a Church of England church, contact them to see if you need to give notice.
When and where to give notice
You must give legal notice at least 29 days before the date of the ceremony and no more than one year in advance.
If you or your partner are a British or Irish citizen
Find your register office on GOV.UK to check which register office you should attend to give notice.
This will be the council that issues your council tax bill and collects your bins and recycling. If you have a BS postcode the Bristol register office may not be your registration district.
You must have lived there for the 7 clear days immediately prior to your appointment, not including the day you arrived or the day of your appointment. This might be in a different district to where your ceremony is taking place.
You might have to give notice at different register offices if one of you lives in a different district. You don't have to give notice on the same day.
If you or your partner are subject to immigration control
From 1 July 2021 where one or both of you is subject to immigration control, notice of marriage or civil partnership will need to be given together in the registration district where either one or both parties lives.
You will be subject to immigration control if you are not:
- a British Citizen
- an Irish Citizen
- a person who has been granted EU Settlement Status (EUSS) either settled or pre-settled or has a pending application for that settled status submitted before 30 June 2021
EU settlement status
You should give notice at least 29 days before your ceremony. You will need to bring to your appointment your EUSS share code. The EUSS code is how we check your status, if we don't have this your appointment cannot proceed and you will need to rebook.
If you do not have settled status, pre-settled status or a pending application submitted before the 30 June 2021, you should give notice at least 71 days before your ceremony and you will be referred to the Home Office.
Other immigration status
You should give notice at least 71 days before your ceremony if you don't have:
- evidence of settled or permanent resident status, such as a biometric residence card
- a marriage visa
- exemption from immigration control
Book an appointment to give notice
You will not be able to give notice if:
- you do not have an appointment
- you do not live in the Bristol Register office area
Book appointment to give notice of marriage
Book appointment to give notice of civil partnership
Call 0117 922 2800 to book an appointment.
Saturday appointments
There is an extra £10 booking fee for Saturday appointments.
Bristol Register Office
The Old Council House, Corn Street, Bristol, BS1 1JG.
The entrance is on Broad Street.
There is level access into the building and adapted toilets on the same floor.
What it will cost
You need to pay a fee to give notice, usually £42 per person.
The fee is £57 per person if you or your partner is from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and you don't have:
- evidence of settled or permanent resident status, such as a biometric residence card
- a marriage or civil partnership visa
- exemption from immigration control
Fees may change depending on current legislation.
What to bring to your appointment
You must bring:
- details of where the ceremony will take place
- proof of your nationality, this can be your valid passport, travel document or naturalisation certificate
If you were born in the UK and do not have a valid passport
If you were born in the UK before 1 January 1983, you can prove your nationality with your full UK birth certificate.
If you were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983, you can prove your nationality with your full UK birth certificate and either:
- proof of your mother's UK citizenship, such as a passport or full birth certificate
- proof of your father's UK citizenship, such as a passport or full birth certificate and your parent's marriage certificate
You must also bring proof of address, for example a:
- bank statement from the last month, this can be a printed copy
- gas, electric or water bill from the last three months
- council tax bill from the last 12 months
- mortgage statement or tenancy agreement from the last 12 months
- current driving licence
If you normally live outside the UK, you'll need to give us details of the address, in England or Wales, where you've lived for the last eight days. We'll also need to see proof of this, such as a letter from:
- the homeowner or tenant at the property where you've been staying
- from your hotel
If you've been married or in a civil partnership before
If you've been married or in a civil partnership before, you must bring one of these documents to your appointment:
- the decree absolute or final order, if you're divorced, you've ended a civil partnership or the marriage has been annulled
- your former partner's death certificate, if your partner has died
If the documents aren't in English, you must bring an English translation done by a third party, which includes the translator's details and signature. You'll have to pay a fee of £55 for us to check them. If we need to ask the General Register Office to check them, the fee will be £83.
If you've changed your name
If the name on your documents isn't the same as on your identification, you must also bring evidence of your change of name. For example, a deed poll, statutory declaration of change of name or the marriage or civil partnership certificate.
If you or your partner are a foreign national
If either you or your partner is a foreign national from outside the EU, EEA or from Switzerland, you must bring:
- a passport size photo for each of you, even if only one of you is a foreign national
- proof of your current immigration status
- a translation of any documents that aren't in English
If you or your partner can't speak English, you must bring an interpreter with you. Partners can't interpret for each other.
What happens at the appointment
You and your partner will be interviewed separately by one of the registrars. This can take up to 40 minutes. The interviews will take place in a private office. You'll be asked questions about each other and when the ceremony will take place.
If either you or your partner is terminally ill and not expected to recover, you might be able to have a marriage or civil partnership ceremony sooner than usual.
For religious ceremonies, contact the place of worship where you'd like the ceremony.
For civil marriages or partnership ceremonies, call us on 0117 922 2800.
Civil ceremony at Bristol Register Office
You'll have to pay:
- a ceremony and room fee, see rates for wedding or civil ceremony hire.
- £12.50 for each extra marriage or civil partnership certificate, you'll receive one certificate as part of your ceremony fee
If you book your ceremony with us before you give notice, you'll also have to pay a £50 non-refundable booking fee.
Civil ceremony elsewhere
You'll have to pay:
For the venue
You'll need to pay your fee to your chosen venue.
Registrar fees
From 1 April 2024 until 31 March 2025:
- £675.50 for a ceremony Monday to Saturday
- £696.50 for a ceremony on a Sunday
- £782.50 for a ceremony on a bank holiday
From 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026:
- £689 for a ceremony Monday to Saturday
- £710 for a ceremony on a Sunday
- £798 for a ceremony on a bank holiday
Prices for a Civil Partnership Conversion, Renewal of Vows
From 1 April 2024 until 31 March 2025:
- £663 for a ceremony Monday to Saturday
- £684 for a ceremony on a Sunday
- £770 for a ceremony on a bank holiday
From 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026:
- £681.50 for a ceremony Monday to Saturday
- £702.50 for a ceremony on a Sunday
- £790.50 for a ceremony on a bank holiday
Certificate fees
- £12.50 for each extra marriage or civil partnership certificate, you'll receive one certificate as part of your registrar fee
If you book the registrars before you give notice, you'll also have to pay a £50 non-refundable booking fee.
Religious ceremony
If you use a religious venue and a registrar has to be there, you'll have to pay a registrar fee of £97. This fee includes one marriage certificate. Contact your chosen venue to see what other charges there will be.