Who Can Be Married in Scotland

Any two people, regardless of where they live, can marry in Scotland, provided that:

• both are at least 16 on the day of marriage
• they are unmarried
• they are capable of understanding the nature of a marriage ceremony and of consenting to marriage
• the marriage would be regarded as valid in any foreign country to which either person belongs
• they are not related to each other in a way which would prevent their marrying.

A man may not marry his

• Mother, Daughter, Grandmother, Granddaughter, Sister, Aunt, Niece, Great-grandmother, Great-granddaughter or male equivalent

A woman may not marry her

• Father, Son, Grandfather, Grandson, Brother, Uncle, Nephew, Great-grandfather, Great-grandson or female equivalent

Except in the circumstances explained below, a man may not marry his

• Former wife's daughter or granddaughter
• Father's or grandfather's former wife
• Former civil partner’s daughter or granddaughter
• Mother’s or Grandmother’s former civil partner
• or male equivalent

Except in the circumstances explained below, a woman may not marry her

• Former husband's son or grandson
• Mother's or grandmother's former husband
• Former civil partner’s son or grandson
• Father’s or Grandfather’s former civil partner
• or female equivalent

(People with these relationships who wish to marry must be 21 years of age or older at the time of the marriage, and the younger person must not, before his or her 18th birthday, have been treated by the other person as a child of the family.)

Relationships by adoption

A man may not marry his

• Adoptive mother or former adoptive mother
• Adopted daughter or former adopted daughter
• or male equivalent

A woman may not marry her

• Adoptive father or former adoptive father
• Adopted son or former adopted son
• or female equivalent

In Scotland you can be married by either a civil ceremony or a religious/belief ceremony .

A civil marriage may only be solemnised by a registrar.  A religious/belief marriage, whether Christian or non-Christian, may be solemnised only by a minister, clergyman, pastor, priest, humanist or other person entitled to do so under the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977. 

You can obtain marriage notice forms (M10) and information about fees from any Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Scotland. You can also download Marriage Notice Application Forms M10 forms. Further information about marriage in Scotland and an information leaflet is also available from the website of the Registrar General for Scotland. Please download and complete the Names of Witnesses Form and bring it with you when giving notice.

You may book your civil wedding as far ahead as you like. Regardless of whether your marriage is a civil or religious/belief ceremony however, you must each submit notice to the registrar for the District in which the marriage is to take place. Completed marriage notice forms (M10), should be submitted along with the required documents and appropriate fee.

The notices must be submitted early enough to enable the Registrar to satisfy himself that you are free to marry one another. Ideally notices should be submitted about eight weeks before the marriage but the minimum period of notice is 29 days before the date of the proposed marriage. If you fail to give 28 days clear notice however, you could be faced with the need to postpone your marriage.   

Only in exceptional circumstances will the Registrar General authorise a marriage to take place if 28 days clear notice has not been given. 

When giving and sending marriage notice forms to the appropriate Registrar, each party to the marriage must supply the following documents:

• Pre-completed marriage notice form (M10).
• Birth certificate
• A certificate of divorce or annulment or a certified copy decree, if you have been married before and the marriage was dissolved. A decree of divorce granted outside Scotland must be absolute or final - a decree nisi is not acceptable
• The death certificate of your former spouse, if you are widowed
• A Certificate of No Impediment if your home is in a country outwith Great Britain and you are subject to the marriage laws of that country.
• Proof of Nationality. People with nationality other than British will be required to produce a passport. For British citizens citizens, the evidence of nationality that must be produced will be either a British passport or a birth certificate. Prior to 1983, a person born in the UK obtained British citizenship automatically. For a person born in the UK after 1 January 1983, nationality is dependent upon the nationality of the parents. A person who produces a birth certificate showing they were born in the UK on or after that date should produce a British passport. If this cannot be produced, evidence of the nationality of one of the parents (either birth certificate or passport) will be needed.
• Utility bill or other such document for proof of address

Should you live outwith the UK, you will require a Marriage/Civil Partnership visa to enter Great Britain, unless you have British Citizenship.  This must be obtained from your country before you travel.

If you come from an EU country and have settled in the UK, you must provide a code to enable us to check your settled or pre-settled status.

If your home is in a country outwith Great Britain and you are subject to the marriage laws of that country, you should obtain a Certificate of No Impediment issued by the competent authority, to the effect that you are free to marry. The local registrar in Scotland will be able to advise you of the appropriate procedure to follow.

If any certificate you provide is not in English, you should also produce a certified translation.

As from December 2014, The Scottish Government amended the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 relating to same sex marriage.  This enables same sex couples to marry,  to change existing civil partnerships to marriage and alter the provisions on gender recognition.  As such, same sex couples wishing to enter into a marriage should follow the Marriage in Scotland instructions detailed in the other links.  Should civil partners wish to convert their partnership to a marriage through an administrative route (providing the original CP took place in Scotland), this can be done by making an appointment with the registrar and completing paperwork.  A payment of £45 is required for this service with a subsequent £10 for a marriage certificate.  If the civil partnership took place outwith Scotland, this cannot, unfortunately, be administratively converted and the usual marriage procedure must be followed.

People in a marriage solemnised in Scotland are also able to apply to the Gender Recognition Panel and obtain a full Gender Recognition Certificate without the need for divorce.  Please ask the registrar for further information.

The fees for a Religious/Belief Wedding or Civil Partnership are £100.  This is over and above whatever you are paying your Celebrant.

The total fees for a Civil Wedding or Civil Partnership within Registration Premises:

• Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00 at The Hollins Room (1 Shore Terrace, Dundee) (couple and 2 witnesses present only)  - £155
• As above but up to 58 guests - £305
• Monday to Friday (outwith normal hours) at The Hollins Room (1 Shore Terrace, Dundee) - £485
• Saturdays - £485
• Sundays- £520
• Public Holidays - £650

Civil Weddings or Civil Partnerships outwith Registration Premises:

• Monday — Friday 09:00 - 17:00 - £420
• Monday — Friday (outwith normal hours) - £485
• Saturdays - £485
• Sundays - £520
• Public Holidays  - £650

We look for a non-refundable deposit fee of £120 to be paid within a month of booking, to confirm the date.  This will, of course be taken off your overall fee.