Traveller guides

Weddings and honeymoons in Britain

Overseas couples can marry in the UK, but the legal steps take weeks, not days, and they differ between England and Wales and Scotland. Plan the paperwork first and the venue second.

Facts checked 2 November 2026 against the sources listed at the end. Britlens is independent: see our editorial policy.

Rock pinnacles of the Old Man of Storr above the Isle of Skye
Photo: Lauwz The Kiwistralian, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rules are summarised from GOV.UK on the date shown. They change, and they are not legal advice: check GOV.UK for your own case before you book.

The visa comes first

You cannot give notice of, or hold, a marriage or civil partnership on a Standard Visitor visa or as an ordinary visitor. [1] Unless you are British or Irish, have settled or pre-settled status, or already hold a UK visa of more than six months, you need a Marriage Visitor visa. [2]

  • It costs £135 and you can apply up to three months before you travel. [3]
  • You must marry within six months of arrival, at a venue licensed for the purpose. [3]
  • You cannot work, study, or extend or switch the visa. [3]

England and Wales: giving notice

  1. Choose and book the venue first: the legal notice must name it. [2]
  2. Give notice in person at a register office in a district where you have lived for at least the past 7 days. If either of you is from outside the UK, you give notice together. [2]
  3. Wait at least 29 days: the earliest wedding date is 29 days after notice. [2]
  4. If the Home Office decides to look at your notice, the wait can extend to 70 days. [2]
  5. Hold the ceremony within 12 months of notice, with at least two witnesses. [2]

In practice this means a stay of well over a month before the wedding. A civil ceremony can be at a register office or any council-approved venue, such as a hotel or stately home; civil ceremonies cannot include religious content. [2]

Scotland is different

In Scotland ceremonies can take place at any indoor or outdoor location that your celebrant or registrar can reach, which is why hilltop and beach weddings are possible. [4] Both of you must submit marriage notice forms (form M10) to the registrar for the area where the wedding will be, with documents such as birth certificates and passports. [4] [5] The notice fee is £45 per person. [5]

Plan early with the registrar, especially in popular areas, and arrange two witnesses aged 16 or over. "Surprise" marriages are not possible. [4] Ask the registrar how far ahead your forms must arrive.

Launch on Derwentwater near Keswick with fells behind
Photo: Antiquary, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Honeymoon ideas

Our couples guide gathers romantic stays and slow days. Places that suit a honeymoon include Skye, the Lake District, Bath, the Cotswolds and the Cornish coast at St Ives.

Bath Abbey beside the open-air Great Bath of the Roman Baths
Photo: Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Quick answers

Can tourists get married in the UK?

Yes, but most non-UK couples need a Marriage Visitor visa, and you cannot marry or give notice as an ordinary visitor. [1] [3]

How much notice do you need to marry in England?

At least 29 days after giving notice, and you must have lived in the registration district for 7 days before giving it. [2]

Guides associés

Sources

Read on the dates shown. Rules, dates and services change: check the source before you rely on it. Pages marked “not read” refused automated access, so we state nothing from them.

  1. Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor (opens in new tab), GOV.UK (UK Visas and Immigration), read 2 November 2026
  2. Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales (opens in new tab), GOV.UK, read 2 November 2026
  3. Marriage Visitor visa (opens in new tab), GOV.UK, read 2 November 2026
  4. Making arrangements for a marriage or civil partnership (opens in new tab), National Records of Scotland, read 2 November 2026
  5. Fees, forms and documents you'll need (opens in new tab), National Records of Scotland, read 2 November 2026