{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/marriage-act-1949/section-31ZA",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/marriage-act-1949/section-31ZA.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76",
  "legislation_title": "Marriage Act 1949",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/marriage-act-1949",
  "path": "section/31ZA",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "31ZA",
  "heading": "Notice of marriage: false information or evidence",
  "text": "(1) A superintendent registrar may refuse to issue a marriage schedule under section 31(2) in a case where—\n(a) notice of marriage has been given under section 27, and\n(b) a superintendent registrar has reasonable grounds for suspecting that a relevant decision was made incorrectly because of the provision of false information or evidence.\n(2) If the superintendent registrar refuses to issue the marriage schedule, the parties to the proposed marriage are to be taken not to have given notice under section 27; but that does not prevent criminal proceedings from being brought against either party, or any other person, in relation to the giving of the notice.\n(3) This section does not limit the powers of superintendent registrars to refuse to issue a marriage schedule under section 31 in respect of marriages.\n(4) In this section—\n“evidence” includes a photograph or other image;\n“exempt person” has the same meaning as in section 28H;\n“relevant decision” means a decision of a superintendent registrar that a party to a proposed marriage is an exempt person.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 31ZA inserted (1.3.2015) by Immigration Act 2014 (c. 22), s. 75(3), Sch. 4 para. 11(2) (with Sch. 9 para. 66); S.I. 2015/371, art. 2(1)(f)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 31ZA(1) substituted (19.4.2021 for specified purposes, 4.5.2021 in so far as not already in force) by The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(2)(8)(b), Sch. 1 para. 21(2) (with Sch. 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 31ZA(2) substituted (19.4.2021 for specified purposes, 4.5.2021 in so far as not already in force) by The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(2)(8)(b), Sch. 1 para. 21(2) (with Sch. 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 31ZA(3) substituted (4.5.2021) by The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 21(3) (with Sch. 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "Ss. 29-31A applied (with modifications) (4.5.2021) by 1956 c. 79, s. 1(3) (as amended by The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 53(2) (with Sch. 2))"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76/section/31ZA",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:20:09.980125+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}