Coronavirus (COVID-19) update:
Register Office: The office is open for pre-booked appointments only. For all other enquiries please call 01733 864646.
Marriages and civil partnership ceremonies: Due to the national lockdown, marriage and civil partnership ceremonies can only take place if there are exceptional circumstances such as when one partner is seriously ill and not expected to recover. It is not known how long this suspension will continue for. Due to the uncertainty of the situation, existing bookings can only be moved to dates that are from May 2021 and onwards. Bookings for new ceremony dates can only be taken if the date you are requesting is at least 6 months in advance of the time you contacted us.
When ceremonies do recommence, they will be subject to certain restrictions. These restrictions have been put in place in order to ensure social distancing at ceremonies and reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission for those attending. They may affect the number of guests that can come to your ceremony, and what can be offered as part of that ceremony.
Please read the following carefully:
- Restrictions for ceremonies at Peterborough Register Office
- Restrictions for ceremonies at approved venues in our district
We are only able to take new ceremony bookings for dates that are at least 6 months ahead of your enquiry. If you would like to make a new booking please contact us. Alternatively, if you have an existing booking and want to change the date, please get in touch with us.
Birth registrations: You can continue to register the birth of your baby during the lockdown period. There may be a longer wait than usual for an appointment and we thank you for your patience.
For more information, please go to the Register a birth page.
Death registrations: These take place over the telephone. You must not come to the Register Office. Please ensure the contact number you give us when making your appointment is correct as this is the number the registrar will phone you on to complete the registration. During the call, the registrar will explain the process for the paperwork.
For more information, please go to the Register a death page.
Notice of marriage/civil partnership appointments: If you have an appointment booked with us then please still attend as these appointments are able to continue during the lockdown period. We are contacting, in ceremony date order, those couples who need to give their notice of intention.
Citizenship Ceremonies: Small group citizenship ceremonies are being held. To book a place, please contact us on 01733 864646. Guidance on the restrictions applying to citizenship ceremonies can be read online - please read this carefully.
Certificates: Orders can only be taken for certificates from recently registered births and deaths. The priority service is suspended.
EUSS service: This service is not currently being offered.
Updated: 13 January 2021
Planning your ceremony
Congratulations on taking your first steps towards marriage or civil partnership. If you are interested in holding your ceremony in Peterborough, we hope that the information below will be of help. If you live in Peterborough but are planning a ceremony elsewhere, you may still need to contact us about the legal formalities.
When planning your ceremony, there are two areas that you need to think about:
- Booking the venue and the registrars for the ceremony.
- Completing the legal formalities – this is known as ‘giving notice’ of your intention to marry or enter into a civil partnership.
Booking your ceremony
When it comes to booking the ceremony, you must make sure that:
- The venue is licensed for marriages or civil partnerships
- It will be available to host the ceremony
- The registrars will be available to take the ceremony on the date and time you have chosen.
You will need to contact the venue to check their availability and to make a booking. A list of the premises licensed for legal ceremonies in the Peterborough district is given below. If the ceremony is to be held at Peterborough Register Office, you will need to contact us.
You will need to contact us to book the registrars if your ceremony is at a licensed venue in the Peterborough district. Be aware that in Peterborough we can only take provisional bookings up to one year in advance. If you plan to hold your ceremony in another district, you will need to contact the registrars in that district.
When you have booked the venue and the registrars, you will need to give notice of your intention to marry or to form a civil partnership. This is a legal requirement, and the marriage or civil partnership will only be able to go ahead if the notice is given correctly.
If you are a British or commonwealth national and plan to hold your ceremony in another country, you may still need to give notice. If this is your intention, please contact us as soon as possible.
Giving notice
Please note: in order to maintain social distancing and reduce the transmission of COVID-19, visitors to the Register Office will need to follow the measures set out in the document below.
It is essential that you read these carefully before coming to your appointment - if you do not follow them, your appointment may not be able to proceed.
‘Giving notice’ is the legal procedure that must be completed before a legal marriage or civil partnership can take place. This procedure applies to all legal ceremonies held at a register office or licensed venue. It also applies to religious ceremonies for most faiths other than the Church of England and, if one party is not an EEA national, the Church of England too.
To give notice, you will need to make an appointment at the relevant register office and pay a fee (for appointments with us, the fee is subject to our terms and conditions). At the appointment you will need to bring in certain documents, as shown below, and you will be asked to confirm your details and your partner’s details.
Notice of your intention to marry or enter into a civil partnership will then be displayed at the register office for a period of 28 days; where one or both of you are not an EEA national, this may be extended to 70 days. At the end of this notice period the documents allowing the ceremony to proceed will be issued.
If both of you are British or EEA nationals, you must give notice in the district in which you live. If you live in different districts you will give your notices separately, each one in the district where you live. One way to confirm the correct district is to identify who you pay your council tax to.
Please note: Peterborough and Cambridgeshire are different districts.
If either one of you is not a British or EEA national, you should give notice at a Designated Register Office. This can be any Designated Register Office in England or Wales, regardless of where you live, and you must both attend together at the same appointment. Peterborough is a Designated Register Office - a full list can be found on the government website.
If one of you does not speak English well, please bring someone else to translate. A couple cannot translate for each other – if you do not understand the questions being asked the appointment will be stopped and you will need to pay for a new appointment.
If you are under 18 years old, please contact us before your appointment for advice. For members of visiting armed forces, or those with right of abode, the rules can be a little different – please contact us.
What documents you need to give notice
Please read the following information carefully. The rules regarding the documentation to be produced are very strict, and we will be unable to take your notice without all of the following:
Type of evidence | Required documents |
Name and identity |
Please note: if you are a British citizen without a valid passport who wishes to use their UK birth certificate as proof of identity, if you were born after 1 January 1983 we will need to see your full birth certificate (the one that includes your parents' names) plus your mother’s UK birth certificate. If you cannot obtain your mother’s UK birth certificate, please get in touch with us to discuss alternative options. If either one or both of you are non-EEA citizens without Indefinite Leave to Remain, you will both need to bring recent passport-sized photos of yourselves to the notice appointment. This is the case even if you have a marriage visa. |
Immigration status |
Please note: if you are a non-EEA national and cannot demonstrate that you have indefinite leave to remain, a marriage visa, permanent residence as an EEA family member or an exemption from immigration control (such as a member of visiting armed forces) your details are likely to be forwarded to the Home Office, and the date of your ceremony could be delayed. |
Confirmation of address |
|
Confirmation of Marital Status (if applicable) |
If previously married or in a civil partnership:
|
Confirmation of Change of Name (if applicable) |
|
All documents brought to the notice appointment should be originals or certified copies – we cannot accept photocopies. If any of your documents are not in English, please bring the original and a certified translation.
If you are unsure about what to bring to your appointment or have any questions at all, please contact us before the appointment. If you cannot meet the requirements at the appointment we may not be able to take your notice, which may mean making a new appointment, paying a new fee, and possibly delaying your ceremony.
Please note: the information above is intended as a general guide to the basic legal requirements. It is not exhaustive, and does not cover every situation. When you book your notice appointment, a registrar will discuss your own circumstances, the requirements that will apply to you, and the documents that you will need to provide.
Notice booking fees
If you are both British or EEA nationals, the booking fee for a notice of marriage appointment is £35 per person and must be paid in full at the time the appointment is made. If either or one of you is a non-EEA national without settled status, permanent residence, a marriage or fiancé visa, or exemption from immigration control, you must both pay a fee of £47 per person.
If the either or both of you are divorced and the country of divorce was outside the British Isles (that is the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man), there will be a fee payable for consideration of each divorce document, either £50 or £75 per divorce depending on where it took place. This fee must be paid at the time the notice is booked.
Please be aware of the following terms and conditions:
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The booking fee is non-refundable, so please ensure you come to your appointment.
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If you cannot come to your appointment, or want to reschedule it, please contact us in advance. Please note that appointments can be rescheduled only once, and only provided that we are contacted in advance of your appointment.
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If you want to cancel your appointment altogether, please let us know. Your notice fee can be refunded provided that you request this in writing (including email) 7 days or more before the appointment date.
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When you attend your appointment the booking fee is used towards the cost of your notice, not the cost of the marriage.
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If you arrive without the correct documents and are unable to complete the notice appointment a new appointment will have to be made and the booking fee paid again. All documents provided must be originals – photocopies or scanned copies of documents cannot be accepted. If a document is not in English then a certified translation must be provided.
Ceremonies at the register office
We offer a choice of three ceremony rooms:
- The Register Office - Accommodating the couple and two witnesses only.
- The Thorpe Room - Offering a simple and less formal ceremony for up to six guests.
- The Lawns Room - An elegant ceremony room, which seats up to thirty guests, where you are able to include music in your ceremony and add your own readings, as long as neither are religious.
Free car parking is available although this can be limited on a weekday (Monday to Friday). Please ensure you and your guests allow plenty of time before the ceremony as alternative off-site parking may have to be found if all our allocated parking bays are full.
Following the ceremony photographs can be taken by the old stone archway in the gardens. The gardens have been fitted with lighting to enhance photographs on darker days or for ceremonies taking place later in the day on winter afternoons. You are of course welcome to bring a photographer or videographer to capture your ceremony. The building is easily accessible, with all rooms on the ground floor, double doors and facilities for the disabled and there is also a loop hearing system in the Lawns room for the hard of hearing.
Other than assistance dogs, we do not allow animals at ceremonies.
Ceremony fees
Ceremonies held at the register office:
Monday |
Friday and Saturday |
|
The Register Office Room* |
£46 |
£46 |
The Thorpe Room (up until 31 March 2021) |
£124 |
£174 |
The Thorpe Room (from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022) |
£130 |
£180 |
The Lawns Room (up until 31 March 2021) |
£260 |
£385 |
The Lawns Room (from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022) |
£270 |
£390 |
Please note: the Register Office Room will only be available on Mondays and Fridays at 10.30am for the couple and two witnesses only.
Ceremonies held at a licensed venue:
Monday to Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
|
1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 |
£555 |
£630 |
£680 |
1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 |
£560 |
£635 |
£685 |
An optional meeting to discuss final arrangements prior to a ceremony at a licensed venue |
£50 |
Please note: ceremonies are not held on a bank holiday at any venue.
Witnesses and certificates
For all ceremonies you must have two other people present to witness that you have said the legal vows and to sign the register or civil partnership schedule. These witnesses must speak and understand English well and ideally should be aged 18 years old or over.
You can order certificates in advance of the ceremony at a cost of £11 per certificate.
Conversion of civil partnership to marriage
Since December 2014, civil partnership couples now have the opportunity to convert their partnership into a marriage. You will both be required to attend at the register office and provide evidence of your identity, along with your civil partnership certificate. A declaration will be made and signed and a marriage certificate will be issued.
Alternatively, you may complete the conversion in two stages by providing the declaration as part of a ceremony at a later date.
For further advice on this process and information on the fees payable please contact the register office.
Licensed venues
Listed below are the venues that are currently licensed in the Peterborough registration district to carry out civil ceremonies for marriage, civil partnership, renewal of vows or baby naming.
Bedford Hall, Tank Yard, Station Road, Thorney, PE6 0QE 0845 3311466 |
The Cresset, Rightwell, Bretton Centre, Peterborough, PE3 8DX 01733 842520 |
Orton Hall Hotel, The Village, Orton Longueville, Peterborough, PE2 7DN 01733 391111 |
Sissons Barn Thorney Road Peakirk Peterborough PE6 7NT 01733 252216 |
The Bull Hotel and Conference Centre, Westgate, Peterborough, PE1 1RB 01733 561364 |
The Great Northern Railway Hotel, Station Approach, Peterborough, PE1 1QL 01733 552595 |
Peterborough Marriott Hotel, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6GB 01733 371111 |
The White Hart, Main Street, Ufford,Stamford, PE9 3BH 01780 740250 |
Burghley House, Stamford, PE9 3JY 01780 761992 |
Holiday Inn, Peterborough West, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SG 01733 289988 |
The Town Hall, Bridge Street, Peterborough, PE1 1HG 01733 747474 |
Apply to become a licensed venue
Peterborough Registration Service must approve all venues in the Peterborough district hosting marriages or civil partnerships. If you are interested in hosting ceremonies at your venue, you can apply online to become a licensed venue or you can contact us.
The process includes:
- an inspection of the premises by two members of council staff
- posting of a public notice to determine any objections
- ensuring the Council’s Planning department have no objections
- ensuring the local Fire Officer has no objections and, if approved
- issue of a licence that remains valid for a period of three years.
The fee for applications from 1 April 2019 will be £2800 and from 1 April 2020 it will be £2900.
An optional pre-inspection visit by council staff for discussion/clarification is available for a one-off fee of £130. A replacement licence or changes to an existing licence will cost £125.
Please note: all fees are non-refundable.
Getting a passport in your new name
If you are changing your surname and going abroad immediately after your ceremony, you can apply to the passport service up to three months in advance for a passport in your new name. The passport will be post-dated to the date of the ceremony and will not be valid for use until the ceremony has taken place.
To apply, you may download the PD2 form from the Gov.uk website or visit any passport office.
Please note: Part 1 of the PD2 form needs to be completed by the Superintendent Registrar who will be performing your ceremony. If you are marrying in the Peterborough registration district, you can either call us so we can take payment and complete the form over the phone with you or if you prefer you can make an appointment to come into the register office. The fee for the passport form to be signed by the Superintendent Registrar for Peterborough is £30. Please be aware that we operate a call back service and it can take a week for us to return your call so please allow enough time for your application to be made. After the call or the appointment you will need to complete Part 2 of the form and submit it with your passport application.
Cancellation and amendments
In the event that you need to cancel a ceremony for which you have already paid, you will be required to provide your request in writing to Peterborough register office and it will be subject to the following guidelines:
- Six months or more notice of cancellation - Full refund (less a £20 administration fee)
- Three to six months notice of cancellation - 50% refund (less a £20 administration fee)
- Less than three months notice of cancellation (or failure to cancel) - No refund
- In the event that you need to change the date of your ceremony, a £20 administration fee will be payable
- In the event that you need to change the time of your ceremony no administration fee will be charged
Ceremonies Guide
Useful links
- Weddings page on the Visit Peterborough website
- The legal requirements for marriage and civil partnerships on the GOV.UK website
- Advice on changing your name after your ceremony can be found on the UK Deed Poll website.