Arranging your civil ceremony

Both parties must lodge notice of their intention to marry.

Our offices remain closed to the public at present. Notice forms for ceremonies taking place within South Lanarkshire can be posted to Licensing and Registration Services Floor 11, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton ML3 0AA or emailed to civilceremonies@southlanarkshire.gov.uk together with the supporting documents. Please make sure you provide a daytime contact phone number with your documents to allow us to contact you for payment.

Before the marriage or civil partnership schedule is issued we will require to see the original documents. An appointment will be made for you to attend the Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton ML3 0AA to collect the schedule and to check the documents. 

You must lodge the notice forms approximately 8 to 10 weeks before the date of your ceremony but no later than 29 days. You should also complete a witness details form. You can get all of the relevant forms online at the National Records of Scotland or from any registration office in Scotland.

In addition to the documents listed in the marriage notice forms you must also lodge:

• evidence of your usual residence
• your birth certificate
• our valid passport or other document to provide evidence of your nationality

If either of you have been married or in a civil partnership registration you will require to provide evidence that the previous marriage or civil partnership registration has been ended by death, divorce, annulment or dissolution.

If you are subject to immigration control the Home Office has the power to increase the statutory notice period to 70 days. We therefore recommend that you give 11 to 12 weeks notice where possible. You cannot lodge your forms more than three months before the date of your ceremony.