Order a Marriage Certificate Copy
Information commonly found on a Marriage Certificate Copy
You will find:
The full names of the 2 participants, their ages and occupations, the date and venue of the marriage.
Both father’s names alive or deceased and their occupations. The names of the 2 witnesses and the person who officiated the ceremony as well as the registrar’s name.
The witness names and the home address of the participants and the official seal to certify as legal. The date of the re issued certificate is also recorded.
If you need to order a marriage certificate copy we can assist.
Reasons a Marriage Certificate Copy may be required
There are many instances where you may need to present a marriage certificate. The main reason is to prove a name change.
Proof of name change would be necessary in the following scenarios:
Passport applications and renewals, opening or changing bank accounts. Travel visa applications, pension and benefit claims, divorce proceedings, house buying. Job applications, DBS checks and tenancy agreements.
Copy Marriage Certificate Ordering Process
Marriage registrations are public records and anyone can order them. Although, there are safeguards in place to prevent fraudulent activity from occurring.
Marriage events in the last 50 years are subject to increased security scrutiny. For any request within the last 50 years full identifying details are necessary. If the full details are not matched we will contact you to discuss further.
We understand that it is common to forget things about the marriage ceremony over time.
Once an order has all the necessary criteria satisfied it is then queued for production. From there, it issued within the advertised time frame and sent out as hard copy.
Copy Marriage Certificate production time frames
We have 3 different options to choose from, each has it’s own production estimate as listed below:
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Standard £39.95 – despatched within ten working days (2 weeks)
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Standard Plus £64.95 – despatched within five working days (1 week)
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Priority £89.95 – sent within 1-2 working days
We send standard and standard plus orders with 1st class royal mail to UK addresses. And to overseas addresses we send with standard and signed for airmail.
Priority orders include special delivery to the UK and DHL to overseas addresses.
Using your marriage certificate abroad
All UK marriage certified copies are suitable for use overseas. Although, it is common for foreign officials to also request the apostille stamp. The apostille is a guarantee from the FCDO that the marriage certificate is genuine.
It is normal for officials to request the apostille when conducting affairs overseas.
Apostille also means “legalised”, it is usual for foreign officials to use the term “legal”.
We advise that you ask the requester of the document if the apostille is necessary. Doing things properly from the beginning can save unnecessary wasted money and time.
The stamp is available to order from the copy marriage certificate application form.
Reasons why a foreign official may request an apostille stamp
As in the UK there are also many instances where a foreign official may ask that the document be “legalised”.
Such as:
Buying a property, applying for residency, working visas, overseas study courses.
Marriage Certificate Copies available to order
In England and Wales you can order copies of marriage certificates from 1837 to present.
Scottish certificates are available from 1855 to present and Northern Ireland from 1864.
Marriages before these years are not available to order in certificate form. There are only transcripts of these events from parish registers to view. We can source marriage certificates from around the world. We have partners in the USA, Canada, France, Spain, Caribbean, Poland, Germany and the ROI.
Most overseas marriage records are not here in the UK. For a tailored quote you can call us on 01706 826109 or use the contact form.
Unsuccessful searches
If we are unable to find a requested record we will make contact with you to try and establish why this may be. If after speaking to you and we are still unable to find a match we will make a full refund available.
