Giving Notice

Step 4 – from 19 July 2021:

• Safety, and maintaining the level of public services we can offer are our priorities.
• Registrars will wear a face covering.
• We’re requiring all visitors to East Sussex County Council buildings, including our Register Offices, to continue to wear a face covering in public areas and ceremony rooms (unless exempt).
• We urge all people attending wedding ceremonies at which we officiate, in any venue, to continue to wear a face covering (unless exempt).

For the latest information about ceremonies during the Covid-19 pandemic see our Covid Update Page

If you and your partner are both 'relevant nationals' or have a Marriage or Fiancé Visa

Relevant Nationals for the purpose of marriage/civil partnership in the UK are British, Irish, or EU citizens with European Union Settled Status (EUSS)

• Notice must be given at a Register Office in the district where each of you live. If you live in different districts, you need to Give Notice separately in your local district.
• Notice must be given at least 28 days before your ceremony.
• A statutory waiting period of 28* full days must pass before you are able to marry or form a civil partnership.
• The statutory fee for Giving Notice is £35 each.

*Depending on your nationality and immigration status this may be extended to 70 days

If you live in East Sussex, you can Give Notice at our offices in Crowborough, Eastbourne, Hastings, or Lewes. 

If you live outside East Sussex, you can find your local register office here.

To book your notice appointment at an East Sussex Register Office, call us on 0345 60 80 198

If either you or your partner are 'foreign nationals’ and you do not have a Marriage or Fiancé Visa

• Notice must be given together at a Register Office in the district where one of you lives.
• Notice must be given at least 70 days before your ceremony.
• A statutory waiting period of 70 full days must pass before you are able to marry or form a civil partnership.
• The statutory fee for Giving Notice is £47 each unless you have evidence of your visa for the purpose of marriage in the UK

If one or both of you live in East Sussex, you can Give Notice at our offices in Crowborough, Eastbourne, Hastings, or Lewes. 

If you both live outside East Sussex, you can find your local register office here.

To book your notice appointment at an East Sussex Register Office, call us on 0345 60 80 198

If you and/or your partner live outside England and Wales

Anyone wanting to marry or form a civil partnership in England or Wales must meet a residency requirement. A residency within England and Wales must be established before notice can be given. You must have resided at one address for at least 7 consecutive days prior to giving notice (this works out as 9 days. The day of arrival and day of your notice appointment do not count towards the 7 days). You are free to leave the country once notice has been given. 

If one or both of you are residing in East Sussex, you can Give Notice at our offices in Crowborough, Eastbourne, Hastings, or Lewes. 

If you are staying outside East Sussex, you can find your local register office here.

To book your notice appointment at an East Sussex Register Office, call us on 0345 60 80 198

Ceremonies Abroad

For information about what you need to do if you are holding your ceremony abroad click here.