Giving notice will require you to provide certain ID documents to the registrar at your appointment.
- all documents must be originals
- photocopies will not be accepted
- court issued documents must have a court stamp. If the document was sent via email, proof of the sender must be shown to the registrar at the notice appointment
Failure to provide the correct documents will mean you are unable to give notice.
Evidence of Name, Age, Sex & Nationality
British citizens
You will need to provide one of the following
- a valid UK passport
- a UK citizenship certificate
- a full UK birth certificate - when using a birth certificate you may also need to provide additional evidence. Please see the table below
| Date of Birth | Evidence required |
| Before 1 January 1983 | your full UK birth certificate |
| After 1 January 1983 | your full UK birth certificate plus one of the following
|
| After 1 July 2006 | your full UK birth certificate and evidence of either parents’ British citizenship or settled status at the time of your birth. This could be either their UK birth certificate or passport showing their British nationality or settled status at the time you were born. |
If you are providing evidence of your parent’s nationality and they were born on or after 1 January 1983 you will also need to provide additional evidence of your grandparent’s nationality, please contact us to discuss 0345 60 80 198.
Irish Citizens
- a valid Irish passport
EU Citizens with the EU settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- a valid EU passport
- a valid EUSS share code - you can get a share code on the GOV.UK website. You wil need to provide this to your egistrar at your notice appoitnment. View and prove your immigration status - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
EU Citizens without Settled Status and all other nationalities
- a valid passport
- evidence of your appropriate visa for marriage or civil partnership or immigration status
If you do no have the appropriate visa for marriage or civil partnership your notices will be referred to the Home Office for approval.
Evidence of your address
You will need to provide one of the following:
| Evidence type | Notes |
| Council Tax Bill | Dated within 12 months of your appointment |
Utility Bill (Gas, electric, or water) | Dated within 3 months of your appointment Please note a mobile phone bill or TV contract cannot be used |
| Bank or Building Society Statement | Dated within 1 month of your appointment |
| Valid UK Driving Licence | This must show your current home address You can be fined up to £1000 if you do not tell the DVLA when your address changes. Change the address on your driving licence - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
| Mortgage Statement | Dated within 12 months of your appointment |
| Tenancy Agreement | Current agreement |
If you do not have one of the above please contact us to discuss. 0345 60 80 198
Evidence of the legal ending to any previous marriage or civil partnership
| Evidence type | Notes |
| The original court stamped Decree Absolute, Final Order or Dissolution Order issued by the County Court or High Court Family Division | If your divorce or dissolution is in another language, you will need to provide the original court document along with an English translation. If you received these documents electronically, you must show evidence of where it was sent from. Consideration of foreign divorce documents may incur an additional fee. Please call the Ceremonies Hub for details 0345 60 80 198. |
| An original death certificate of your late spouse or civil partner | If you are not named on the death certificate, you will also need to bring an original marriage or civil partnership certificate. |
Evidence of change of name
If you are using a different name to the one used on any of your documents, or the documents you are bringing show different names, then you must provide further evidence to link all the names shown. This may be in the form of.
- Previous marriage or civil partnership certificate(s)
- Change of name deed(s)
To book your notice at an East Sussex Register Office or if you have a question about the documents, call 0345 60 80 198.
After your appointment
- Your notice will be put on public display for 28 days at East Sussex Register Office, Hookstead, Goldsmith's Avenue, Crowborough, TN6 1RH. During this time you cannot marry or form a civil partnership.
- Your notice will be valid for 12 months from the day of your appointment.
- Your notice is venue specific. If you change the venue, new notices will need to be given and the appropriate fees paid.
Back to Giving Notice
| Arranging a ceremony will require you to share some personal information with us. Refer to our Privacy Notice for details about how and why we use your data. |