Marriages

You'll need to lodge a marriage notice with us at least 29 clear days before your wedding date, and no more than three months before it. This applies to both civil and religious marriages. You can get marriage notice forms from us or download them from the National Records of Scotland website.

You can send us your marriage notice in person, by post or by email. All marriage notice paperwork must be submitted to our Kirkwall Registration Office.

Religious or belief marriages

If you'd like a religious or belief marriage ceremony, you should contact your chosen minister, priest or celebrant to make arrangements.

Civil marriages

Once you've decided on a date, place and time, contact us to check our availability. You can book well in advance, although you won't be able to submit your marriage notice forms until three months before the date.

Whether you choose to hold your ceremony in our registration office or at a venue of your choice, we're happy to help make your day one to remember.

We can tailor your ceremony to your wishes. You can have music played as your guests arrive and as you or your partner enter - this can be a piece that's special to you both. You might also like to include readings or poetry, read by family or friends, and you can make personal promises to each other, whether serious, funny or romantic. We're happy to talk this through with you.

You can also include religious readings or hymns in your ceremony, though these would be read by family or friends rather than by us.

Documents you'll need to submit

• A Marriage Notice Form (M10), completed by both of you
• Birth certificates
• Proof of residence (a utility bill, bank statement or driving licence)
• If either of you has been married or in a civil partnership before, your final divorce or dissolution document, or your spouse's death certificate
• Proof of nationality, if you were born after 1 January 1983 - a valid passport, for example
• If you're not a British citizen, you may also need a Certificate of No Impediment from your home country, confirming you're free to marry

If you're coming into the UK from abroad, you'll need further documentation. Visit the National Records of Scotland website or speak to us for more information.

If any of your documents are in a language other than English, they'll need to be accompanied by a translation.

Fees

Please contact us and we'll let you know the relevant fees.

Marriage schedule

If you're having a religious or belief marriage, you should collect your Marriage Schedule from us no earlier than 7 days before your wedding. After the ceremony, please return it to us within 3 days so we can register your marriage and issue your certificate.

If you're having a civil marriage, we'll take the Marriage Schedule to the ceremony ourselves.

What we'll give you

A marriage certificate, if you ask for one and pay for it, once your marriage has been registered.

Changing a civil partnership to a marriage

You can find guidance on how to change an existing civil partnership into a marriage on the National Records of Scotland website.