You must bring your supporting documents with you when you give notice.
All documents must be valid (not expired) and originals (not photocopied). You cannot show your documents in digital form on your smartphone or tablet, and we will not accept expired documents or photocopies.
You're responsible for bringing the correct documents to your appointment, and making sure that you've left enough time to fulfil all of the requirements to give notice.
The following information and documents must be provided at your appointment.
Name, surname, and date of birth
For British citizens, a British passport is the usual document presented.
Where a British passport cannot be provided, a full UK birth certificate may be acceptable - please contact Middlesbrough Register Office for details.
Nationality
You'll need to provide a passport proving your identity and nationality. It must be valid (not expired), and the original document (not a photocopy).
Proof of address
Please bring one of the following for each person giving notice:
- utility bill for services received at the property (for example, gas, electric, water, landline, cable or broadband, but not mobile phone bills) - this must be dated within three months of your appointment to give notice
- bank or building society statement or passbook - must be dated within one month of your appointment to give notice
- Council Tax bill - must be dated within one year of your appointment to give notice
- mortgage statement - must be dated within one year of your appointment to give notice
- current residential tenancy agreement
- valid UK, Community or British driving licence
- letter from the owner or proprietor ('X') of the address where the applicant has been living, which must:
- confirm that the applicant has been living there for at least 7 full days directly before the date of the appointment to give notice (the 7 days does not including date of arrival or date of the appointment)
- state the date of arrival
- confirm that X is the owner or proprietor
- include X's name and address
- be signed and dated by X on the day of the appointment to give notice
- letter from tenant ('Y') at the address where the applicant has been living, which must:
- confirm that the applicant has been living there for at least 7 full days directly before the date of the appointment to give notice (the 7 days does not including date of arrival or date of the appointment)
- state the date of arrival
- state that Y is the tenant
- state Y's name and address
- be signed and dated by Y on the day of the appointment to give notice
- be supported by proof of address for Y (from the list above)
Proof of immigration status
If you or your partner are non-relevant nationals, you'll need to bring evidence of your immigration status with you to your appointment - for example, a visa stamp in your passport, a Biometric residence card, etc.
A relevant national is someone who is either British or Irish, or who has either 'pre-settled status' or 'settled status' under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), or is awaiting the outcome of their EUSS application. A non-relevant national is anyone who does not fit those criteria.
If you've made an application through the EU Settlement Scheme, and you have either 'settled status' or 'pre-settled status', or you're awaiting the outcome of your EUSS application, you'll need to bring your sharecode to the appointment so the registrar can verify your status. The code will need to be generated within 30 days of the appointment to give notice.
Passport-size photographs
If either of you are part of the Home Office referral scheme (someone who is a non-relevant national and who has a limited visa), you'll both need to bring one passport-sized photo with you to the appointment to give notice.
A relevant national is someone who is either British or Irish, or who has either 'pre-settled status' or 'settled status' under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), or is awaiting the outcome of their EUSS application. A non-relevant national is anyone who does not fit those criteria.
Additionally, if either you or your partner got a Marriage Visitor visa for the purposes of marrying or forming a civil partnership in this country, you'll both need to bring one passport-sized photo with you to the appointment to give notice.
Proof that a previous marriage or civil partnership has been dissolved or annulled
To prove that any previous marriage or civil partnership has been dissolved or annulled, you'll need to bring a UK decree absolute with the original court stamp, or original final foreign divorce documents to the appointment to give notice. If the document is not in English, you'll also need to bring a signed and dated third-party translation of the document. Third-party means someone else, like a professional translation company, must do the translation, you cannot just translate it yourself.
A foreign divorce may need clearance from the Registrar General. If this is the case, the Registrar General may ask for extra information or documents once you've given notice. If this happens, your ceremony cannot go ahead until you get clearance from the Registrar General.
Proof of being a widow, widower, or surviving civil partner
You'll need to provide the death certificate for your deceased partner, as well as the certificate proving your marriage or civil partnership.
Proof of name change
If you or your partner have changed your name by deed poll or change of name deed, you must provide the documents to prove this.
If your name has been changed but not by deed poll, you must provide evidence of your former or other names - for example, name change documents, prior divorce document, or other evidence of a former name.
