Getting Married in Jersey

The changes in the island’s marriage laws mean that it is much easier for couples to marry in Jersey. Wedding applications can be made by post and once the paperwork is completed you need only to arrive three working days before the planned wedding date to complete formalities and collect the marriage licence.
Even if you arrive without having made a postal application you can get married just ten days after presenting all your documentation to the Superintendent Registrar. Couples can also get married at ‘premises’ approved by the Constable of each of the island’s 12 parishes. These premises include Jersey’s magnificent medieval castles, other heritage sites, manor houses and many of the island’s larger hotels.

Visitors to Jersey can marry at either the Office of the Superintendent Registrar in the Royal Square, or in a non-Anglican Church. (Do remember that the date and time you choose for your wedding will depend on the availability of the Registrar. As a general rule, marriages of non-residents take place on Mondays to Fridays between 1100 and 1300. The ceremony takes approximately 20 minutes).

Registering a Marriage

Where a civil marriage is to take place in Approved Premises or in the office of the Superintendent Registrar, it is necessary for the parties to the marriage to apply to the Superintendent Registrar for a marriage licence. Persons wishing to marry in an Approved Premises must make their own arrangements with the management of the premises concerned.

Having agreed to the date and time of the marriage couples must call on the Superintendent Registrar to apply for a marriage licence. Couples living outside of the Island should write to the Superintendent Registrar at No. 10 Royal Square, St Helier, JE2 4WA. Where a marriage is to take place in an Anglican Church (the Church of England) the parties to a marriage must consult the Rector or Vicar of the Church concerned.

If the marriage is to take place in a Registered Building (any church, temple, Synagogue, Mosque or Meetinghouse) the couple must make their own arrangements with the minister, priest or religious leader of the building concerned. Having agreed to the date and time of the marriage the couple must call on the Superintendent Registrar to apply for a marriage licence. Before such a licence may be issued the parties must give notice of their intention to marry. This may be done either in person or for those living outside of the Island, by mail.

Notice must be given not more than three months and no less than ten working days before the date of the marriage. Couples are generally required to give their Notice one month before the date of their marriage. When giving Notice of marriage the parties will be required to produce the following documents:-

• Full birth certificates for both parties to the marriage (that is the long form certificate with the details of parents recorded on it).
  
• Widows and widowers must produce the death certificate for their late spouse.
  
• Divorced persons must produce a Court sealed and certified copy of their Divorce Decree Absolute
  
• All documents in a language other than English must be accompanied by an officially certified translation into the English language.

Minors, (persons under the age of 18 years) wishing to marry must obtain the written consent of both parents or guardian before Notice can be given of their intention to marry. Persons under the age of 16 are not permitted to marry. Upon receipt of a Notice to Marry the Superintendent Registrar will enter the details in the Announcement of Marriages Book and the names of the parties to the marriage will be posted on the Notice board outside the Office of the Superintendent Registrar as the couples public declaration of their intention to marry.

The names must remain of the notice board for a minimum of seven clear days before a licence may be issued. The Notice of Marriage will be valid for a period of three months. No less than three working days before the date of the marriage one of the parties to the marriage must present themselves in person at the Office of the Superintendent Registrar to complete the formalities and to be issued with the Marriage Licence. They will at that time be required to produce the originals of their full birth certificates and the other supporting documents. They will be required to sign a solemn declaration after which they will on payment of the fee be issued with their Marriage Licence. The parties to the marriage must then call on the Registrar of the Parish in which the marriage will take place with their marriage licence and their documents.

The registrar will, on the payment of the required fee, prepare the registers that will be signed at the marriage. The couple will be presented with their Marriage Certificate at the marriage once the couple and their witnesses have signed the registers. Marriage certificates are initially obtainable from the registrar of the parish in which the event took place. Copies of marriage certificates for marriages celebrated in Anglican Churches may be obtained from the rector or vicar of the church concerned. Copies of marriage certificates that have occurred in the Island since August 1842 may be obtained from the Office of the Superintendent Registrar.

Note

If you reside in a Jersey Parish yet wish to marry in a Church within another Parish you may well have to visit the Dean of Jersey to obtain your Marriage Licence. Your Church Reverend or Vicar will no doubt let you know if this is the case.

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