Fees and payments
Notice of Intention to Marry fees
- £35 per person, or
- £47 per person (if as a couple you are referred to the Home Office, under the referral and investigation scheme)
Fee for consideration of documentation of a divorce / dissolution outside the British Isles
- £50 or £75. Check which applies to you.
Ceremony Fees
QEII Civil Marriages
Monday to Thursday - £150
Friday - £188
Saturday (AM) - £208
Saturday (PM) - £260
QEII Civil Partnerships
Monday to Thursday - £136
Friday - £156
Saturday - £188
Outside Venues Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships
Monday to Thursday - £376
Friday - £406
Saturday - £428
Sunday - £458
Naming and Reaffirmation Ceremonies
Monday to Thursday - £156
Friday - £178
Saturday - £198
All prices include the cost of one marriage certificate. Prices are reviewed annually in April.
Certificate Fees
Any additional certificates requested before the date of the ceremony will cost £11. Further certificates can be purchased at a later date.
Paying your fees
Fees for ceremonies in Bolton Register Office (the couple and two witnesses) are paid on the day. Ceremony fees in the Queen Elizabeth II and Approved Premises must be paid in full by the latest two months prior to the ceremony. Please call the office to make payment.
Ceremonies outside England and Wales
Different rules apply for ceremonies outside of England and Wales.
You may have been asked to provide a 'Certificate of No Impediment'. This is a formal certificate that confirms there are no objections to a proposed marriage or civil partnership and is sometimes required if you are planning a ceremony abroad.
You’ll also need to consult with the authorities in the country that you‘re planning to hold your ceremony in, to check the legal paperwork that they will need beforehand. Your local register office can sometimes issue these certificates, but they cannot be issued for all countries due to the various legislation and treaty agreements that exist. You may also need to complete legal paperwork in the country where your ceremony is to take place.
When you attend to give notice, you must be able to confirm the town, locality and country where your ceremony will take place.
You should also check if the certificate needs to be legalised, with an apostille certificate, or translated.
After a marriage or civil partnership abroad
The recognition under English Law of most marriages abroad can only be determined by a court. Most marriages will generally be recognised as valid here, providing that you complied with the law of the country where the ceremony took place. For the majority of marriages / civil partnerships that have taken place abroad there is no facility to register the event in the UK.
If you have any concerns about the validity of your marriage, you should seek legal advice. In such circumstances it may be possible to petition the courts for a declaration of status under section 55 of the Family Law Act 1986.