If you want to get married in Ireland, you must give three months notice, in person, at a civil registration service. This applies to all civil, religious and secular marriages.
To give notice, you must book a notification appointment and both of you must attend.
To book a marriage notification appointment over the phone, contact a civil registration service.
For certain areas of the country you can also book online.
Book your appointment as far in advance as possible. Waiting times can vary throughout the year.
Contact a civil registration service if you are in a civil partnership and you want to get married.
At the marriage notification appointment, the registrar meets both of you.
You sign a declaration stating that you do not know of any legal reason why the marriage can't happen.
If everything is in order, the registrar gives you a marriage registration form.
Registrars can investigate and form an opinion of the authenticity of an application. This can result in a decision to not grant a licence.
You need to bring certain documents and photocopies with you.
If you are not living in Ireland and you want to give notice by post, contact a civil registration service.
You will still need to give 3 months notice. You will also need to meet the registrar at least 5 days before the ceremony to sign the declaration form.
The registrar will also give you the Marriage Registration Form.
You will need to attend an interview with the registrar if:
The non-refundable notification fee is €200.
For a marriage to be legal, the ceremony must be performed by a solemniser.
The solemniser must be on the Register of Solemnisers.
For a civil ceremony, the registrar will solemnise the marriage.
Both witnesses must be over the age of 18 on the day of the marriage ceremony.
You will need 2 witnesses over the age of 18.
The registrar who conducted the ceremony will register the marriage.
Note: Further charges can apply for civil ceremonies that take place at a venue that is not a registry office.
You must book a notification appointment for a church, religious or secular ceremony.
Contact the religious authorities to arrange the ceremony. You will also need to register the marriage.
You will need to download and complete the capture of data form and bring it to your marriage notification appointment.
Both of you must bring the original and a colour photocopy of the photo page of one of the following:
Photo ID documents must be in date.
You will also need:
If your documents are not in English or Irish you must provide translations.
Public documents issued by an EU member state should be accompanied by a Multilingual Standard Form (MSF), which is a translation and authentication document accepted across the EU.
If you were born outside the EU and you do not have an acceptable form of photographic ID (for example a valid passport, Public Service Card, etc.), you will require an apostille stamp or letter from your Embassy/Diplomatic Mission confirming the authenticity of your certificates.
You will also need:
Please bring up-to-date evidence of your immigration status.
If you speak to each other in a language that is not English or Irish, you must provide an interpreter. You will also need to do this at the ceremony.
You will need to provide the following information about your ceremony:
You will need an original or certified copy, and photocopy, of your divorce decree. If there is a stay on the divorce decree, bring this too.
Contact a civil registration service for advice if you divorced in another country.
All foreign divorces will be examined by the General Register Office to determine whether it can be recognised in the State.
You will need the:
Contact a civil registration service if you want to get married.
Note: You will need the original and a photocopy of the civil partnership certificate.
For a previous civil partnership, you will need the final decree of dissolution.
You will need the:
You will need the:
Marriage notification appointment booking form
Complete this couples data capture form using block capitals and bring it with you on the day of your appointment along with other necessary documentation.
You can book a marriage notification appointment online for a religious or secular marriage. You can do this for all areas of the country except Limerick, Clare and Tipperary North.
The couple and celebrant must arrange the marriage ceremony.
You can book a civil marriage notification appointment online in the following areas:
You can book a civil marriage notification appointment and ceremony online in the following areas:
A civil ceremony can be held in a civil registration service or a venue approved by the registrar. You do not have to live in the same area as the venue.
In general, registrars only perform ceremonies in the county in which they are based.
If you want to get married in a venue other than a civil registration service, contact the civil registration service in that area. The registrar may need to inspect the venue.
An additional fee is charged for holding a civil ceremony in a venue other than a civil registration service.
The venue must be suitable for a marriage ceremony. It must have enough space for those attending.
The venue must be either:
The venue must also:
How you register your marriage depends on the type of ceremony you have.
The registrar who conducted the ceremony will register the marriage.
Bring the marriage registration form to any civil registration service. You must do this within 1 month of the date of marriage.
Registering a marriage in Ireland is free.
There is a charge for purchasing a marriage certificate.
If you get married abroad, the registration of your marriage will be in the country where the marriage took place.
The civil registration service does not register marriages that took place abroad.
Order online, by post or in person from any civil registration service.
To get a marriage certificate you need to provide:
Online orders
€20 for a full standard certificate.
Over the counter orders
Fees for ordering certificates at a civil registration service or by post are:
Delivery time depends on how long it takes to locate the certificate and where it is being posted to. We aim to post certificates within 20 working days.
Postage for online orders is €1.50 per order in Ireland and €2 per order outside of Ireland.
If we are unable to find the record, we will send you a full refund.
Note: You can only order full standard certificates online.
To order a certificate by post in English or in Irish, download one of the application forms at the bottom of this page.
Certificates are available for: