What is a marriage certificate?

Local and family history A-Z > Births, marriages and deaths > Civil registration > Marriage certificates

• A marriage certificate gives you details that have been registered in the official register of marriages. In England and Wales, registering a marriage has been a legal requirement since 1st July 1837, although penalties for non-registration were not introduced until 1875. The registration service is run by the General Register Office
• The General Register Office has a collection of guides for researching your family tree including one on Marriage Certificates

Page last updated: 1st July 2020