Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Registration of Marriages Regulations 1986 and the Registration of Marriages (Welsh Language) Regulations 1999.

Regulation 2(2) makes amendments to marriage registration forms which are in the English language. In relation to a notice of marriage, these amendments provide for the sex, and for the date of birth instead of the age, of a person to be married to be entered on the notice; the entries relating to place of residence are amended; and, where a person to be married is 18 years of age or over, the one month period of validity of a certificate of marriage, made necessary by section 39A of the Marriage Act 1949 (marriage of former civil partners one of whom has changed sex), is inserted into the notice. In relation to a notice of marriage by Registrar General’s licence, the amendments provide for the sex, and for the date of birth instead of the age, of a person to be married to be entered on the notice; and the entries relating to place of residence are amended. In relation to a certificate for marriage, the entry relating to the date on which notice of marriage was given is amended, and the one month period of validity of the certificate, made necessary by section 39A of the Marriage Act 1949, is inserted into the certificate. Schedule 1 contains the amended forms.

Regulation 3 makes similar amendments to marriage registration forms which are partly in the Welsh language, and inserts new form 1D (notice of marriage by Registrar General’s licence) into the Registration of Marriages (Welsh Language) Regulations 1999. Schedule 2 contains the new and amended forms.