If you are getting married or forming a civil partnership outside of England and Wales, different rules will apply depending on the country where your ceremony will be held.
It is your responsibility to find out what you must do to ensure your marriage or civil partnership will be legally recognised in the UK.
The authorities in the country where you are planning to hold your ceremony will advise what legal paperwork they require before it can take place.
As long as your marriage or civil partnership is valid and legal in the country it took place, it should be recognised in the UK. If you need clarification on the legality of your ceremony, please consult a solicitor.
To find out which documents you may need and how to apply for them, please visit Getting married abroad - GOV.UK.
Certificate of no impediment
A Certificate of no impediment (CONI) confirms there are no objections to a proposed marriage or civil partnership and is sometimes required if you are planning a ceremony abroad.
Certificates of no impediment can only be issued for marriages or civil partnerships abroad. They are not single-status documents.
The certificate does not expire, but different countries have rules about what is acceptable.
We can only issue a certificate if:
- you are a UK national
- your marriage or civil partnership is taking place in a foreign country but not a commonwealth country or the Irish Republic
- you have lived in England or Wales for the proceeding eight nights immediately before giving your notice of marriage or civil partnership
- the overseas authorities have asked you to obtain a certificate of no impediment
- we can take notice for the country concerned
- it is for a specific person in a specific country in the next few months
Single status document
If you have been asked for a proof of single status document by another country and are not planning a marriage or civil partnership, please request that country’s embassy what else you can supply. We cannot issue proof of single status documents.
The General Register Office for England and Wales can issue a letter confirming no trace of marriage record for your name during a set period, which may be accepted for some purposes when a single status document is requested.
You must contact the General Register Office on 030 0123 1837 to apply for a ‘no trace letter’.
Where to give notice
To obtain a certificate, you must give notice.
- If you live in Lincolnshire, you should contact us to make an appointment at one of our offices.
- If you live outside of Lincolnshire, you must give your notice of marriage or civil partnership at the register office in the district(s) where you live.
- If one party is a UK national and lives in a foreign country, they should discuss with the British consul of that country where they can give notice, as notice cannot be taken here for a person living overseas.
Please see the documents you will need to give notice page for more information about what you must bring to your appointment.
Booking an appointment
Please get in touch with us with your full contact information to arrange an appointment at ceremonies@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
Collecting your certificate
After 28 days from having given notice, if no impediment to the marriage or civil partnership has been shown, we will provide you with a certificate of no impediment (CNI).
We will contact you to arrange the collection of the paperwork.
This certificate must be produced to the British Consul for the consular district in the country where the marriage or civil partnership is taking place.
They will then use this to complete the legal formalities required for your marriage or civil partnership.
Please note that the British Consul may charge for this service.
Important information
It is important to note that any certificate issued by us, on its own, may not be sufficient to allow the marriage or civil partnership to take place.
You must ensure you complete any other legal requirements of the country you chose for your ceremony.
In addition, the local authorities in some countries will not accept the certificate of no impediment if it is dated more than three months from the date of issue.
You must check for any date restrictions and ensure your documents will be acceptable.
Apostille or legalisation stamp
The country where your marriage or civil partnership is taking place may require your certificate of no impediment to have an 'Apostille' or legalisation stamp.
This stamp is put on the document by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which confirms that the document is genuine. You will need to establish whether this is required and allow time to complete this.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is based in Milton Keynes and will only accept documents by post or courier.