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From November 2007, the marriage provisions of the Civil Registration Act, 2004 will be commenced and will replace the current marriage legislation in the Republic of Ireland.

The main changes resulting from this will be as follows:-

The notification of intention to marry (three months’ notice) will have to be given in person to a Registrar, rather than by post; postal notifications will be permitted only in very restricted circumstances which will be prescribed by the Minister

All couples giving notification after the above date must sign declarations of no impediment and obtain a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) from a Registrar in advance of the ceremony; this will be issued after they have completed the necessary notification procedures and the Registrar is satisfied they are free to marry

A Register of Solemnisers of Marriage will be created and maintained by the General Register Office. All those solemnising a civil or religious marriage after the above date must be on this Register

It will be possible for civil marriages after the above date to be held at venues other than Registry Offices, provided the venue has been inspected and approved by the HSE in advance of the marriage ceremony and subject to a Registrar being available to solemnise a marriage at that venue on the date in question The residency requirements for civil marriages will be removed

All the current marriage legislation, requirements and procedures will remain in place until November 2007. Notices of intention to marry before that date will continue to be received by post. Couples who intend having Roman Catholic marriages after that date, but give notification before that date, do not need to attend with a Registrar or be issued with a MRF. Couples who intend to have civil or non-Roman Catholic ceremonies on or after the commencement of the new provisions will need to be issued with MRF’s and Registrars will be contacting these couples to make the necessary arrangements for this.

To view a more detailed overview please visit this link

http://www.groireland.ie/getting_married.htm

SECTION 1: Preliminaries to a valid Marriage, including the Marriage Notification Process

THIS APPLIES TO ALL MARRIAGES

To contract a valid marriage in this state the parties to the marriage must:

• have the capacity to marry each other;
• freely consent to the marriage; and,
• observe the marriage notification process as required by the laws of this State (detailed below).

Marriage by civil ceremony is a civil contract. Marriage by certain religious ceremonies is also recognised by civil law as being a civil contract. Persons wishing to get married by religious ceremony should approach the authorities of the religious denomination concerned for advice on how to proceed, and also make an appointment to attend their local Registrar. Those wishing to get married by civil ceremony should make an appointment to attend a Registrar of Civil Marriages. Some counties have more than one registrar; the HSE will be able to advise you of their contact details.

1.1 Minimum Age of Marriage:

From August 1, 1996 (under the Family Law Act, 1995) the minimum age at which a person, ordinarily resident in the State, may contract a marriage valid in Irish law is eighteen years of age; whether the marriage takes place in Ireland or elsewhere. This provision also applies where one party to the proposed marriage is over 18 years of age and the other is under 18, and to all non-residents who are marrying in the State. All persons applying to marry in the State must provide a Registrar with evidence of age and identity. Failure to produce such evidence will result in refusal to proceed with the marriage. Persons aged under 18 must obtain the permission of the Circuit Family Court or the High Court to get married.

If the permission of the Circuit Family Court or High Court has not been obtained and either party to the marriage is under eighteen years of age, the Registrar or person solemnising the marriage must not proceed with the marriage ceremony. Any party to such marriage, or any Registrar or person solemnising a marriage, who is convicted of knowingly breaching the provisions regarding the minimum age for the marriage shall be liable to a fine of up to €635.

There is no requirement to obtain parental consent for a marriage.

1.2 The Marriage Notification Process (including documents required)

From 5^th November 2007 each person marrying in the State must either attend (by appointment only) at the office of a Registrar in person togive at least three months notification of intention to marry; or obtain an exemption from this requirement under Section 47 of the Civil Registration Act, 2004. For example, any person marrying on or after August 1, 2007 must have given notification to the appropriate Registrar on or before May 1, 2007. Assuming all the legal requirements are met, the couple are then issued with a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) which is effectively a civil marriage licence.

Transitional arrangements

If you have already sent in a notification of intention to marry prior to 5^th November 2007 but are not getting married until after this date, transitional arrangements will apply as follows:-

Roman Catholic marriages – you should complete a registration form (Form A) after the marriage ceremony which must be returned to a Registrar for the marriage to be civilly registered; you should also ensure that the priest solemnising the marriage is on the Register of Solemnisers

Civil marriages – you should make an appointment with your local Registrar (if you have not already met with him or her) and he or she will arrange for you to be issued with a completed Marriage Registration Form, provided you are free to marry;

Non-Roman Catholic religious marriages – you should contact your local Registrar and he or she will arrange for you to be issued with a completed Marriage Registration Form, provided you are free to marry; you should also ensure that the priest or clergyperson solemnising the marriage is on the Register of Solemnisers

The requirement to give three months notification of an intended marriage is a legal requirement for a valid marriage. A marriage will not be valid in civil law unless three months notification has been given, or; unless permission to marry has been granted by the High Court or Circuit Family Court under Section 47 of the Civil Registration Act. Even where a court exemption has been granted in relation to the three months’ notice, the parties must still attend a Registrar’s office by appointment to provide the details set out below and be issued with a Marriage Registration Form.

After 5^th November 2007 any couple proposing to marry should begin the process by contacting their local Registration Office to make an appointment to meet the Registrar to give him/her their marriage notification. Notifications can be taken only by prior appointment with the Registrar. While only three months’ notice is required by law, couples are advised to contact the Registrar well over three months before their intended date of marriage to ensure they can get a timely appointment. The notification details will be entered on a computerised notification system by the Registrar on the basis of the information given by the couple. When attending the Registrar’s office in relation to the notification, the couple must also pay the notification fee of €150 and provide the Registrar with evidence of their name, address, age, marital status and nationality.

In general, all couples will be asked to produce:-

- Passport or driving licence as ID

- If either party is divorced, original final decrees in respect of all previous divorces

- If widowed, death certificate of the previous spouse and the civil marriage certificate for their first marriage

- Their PPS Numbers (where either or both of the parties have one)

- Fee of €150 as above

Additional documentation may be required in some cases, such as where a divorce has been granted outside the State and it must be determined whether it is recognised under Irish law. The Registrar will advise what is required in each case.

In addition to their personal particulars, the couple will be requested to provide details in relation to their proposed marriage such as

- the intended date of marriage,

- whether they require a civil or religious ceremony,

- the names and dates of birth of their witnesses, and

- details of the proposed solemniser and venue.

They will also both have to complete a declaration of no impediment stating that they are not aware of any lawful impediment to the proposed marriage. A list of impediments is contained at Appendix 1 at the end of this webpage.

The Registrar will issue each party to an intended marriage, and the proposed solemniser, with an acknowledgement confirming the date of the receipt of the notification.

It should be noted that these acknowledgements are for record only and are not intended to be a licence or certificate signifying the approval of the Registrar concerned to any proposed marriage. All the other legally required marriage preliminaries, as set out in this webpage, must also be complied with.

A person who solemnises or is a party to a marriage where he/she is aware that the three months’ notification of intention to marry has not been given is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €2,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both.

USEFUL ADDRESSES & TELEPHONE NUMBERS:

Registrar-General of Marriages, General Register Office, Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon, LoCall 1890-252 076 or 0906-632900;

Department of Foreign Affairs, Consular Section, 80 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Tel. +353 (0) 1 4082568 (Civil Letter of Freedom for marriage abroad);

United KingdomDivorce Registry, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LP.

General Register Office (N.I), Oxford House, 49-55 Chichester Street Belfast BT1 4HL, Tel. +44 (0) 4890 252 000;

The Embassy of Italy, 63 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4; Tel: +353 (0) 1 660 17 44;

The Embassy of the United Kingdom, 31 Merrion Rd, Dublin 4; Tel. +353 (0) 1 2053700

The United Kingdom Divorce Registry - +44 207 9476000

The addresses of the other embassies appear in the telephone directory under Diplomatic & Consular Missions, Embassies.

Registrars of Marriage

Locating the Circuit Family Court to whom an application for a Court Exemption Order may be made

County Registrar and Circuit Court offices (with telephone numbers):