What Forms and Documents You Need to Register a Marriage or Civil Partnership in Scotland

Updated

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) provides a dedicated page, "Registering a marriage or civil partnership," that lists the forms and documents you'll need to provide. The exact requirements depend on your circumstances, so treat the NRS page as the authoritative checklist rather than relying on a general list. The NRS describes its role as collecting, preserving and publishing information about Scotland's people and history, and registration of marriages and civil partnerships falls under that remit.

Where to find the requirements

Start on the NRS website (nrscotland.gov.uk) and look for the "Registering a marriage or civil partnership" page, listed under its popular pages. That page is the source for the forms and documents you must provide. The NRS also links to related services, including ordering copies of certificates and extracts from its registers.

What the NRS page covers

According to the NRS site, the registration page explains the forms and documents you'll need to provide to register a marriage or civil partnership. Because the site presents this as a specific service page rather than a single downloadable form, work through it in this order:

  1. Read the "Registering a marriage or civil partnership" page to identify which forms apply to you.
  2. Note the documents it lists as required for your situation.
  3. Check any linked pages, such as ordering certificates, if you also need copies of records.

Practical points to keep in mind

  • Requirements vary by case. The NRS page is organised around providing the forms and documents for your particular registration, so don't assume one fixed set applies to everyone.
  • Use the official source. Third-party summaries may be out of date; the NRS page is the one the registrar's process is built around.
  • Related services are separate. Ordering a copy of a certificate and changing your name are handled on their own NRS pages with their own costs and processing times, so don't expect those details on the registration page.

If you need more than registration

The NRS site also covers:

  • Ordering certificate copies – where to order copies of certificates and extracts from its registers.
  • Changing your name – how to apply, including cost and processing times.
  • Search rooms – how to access physical records and selected digital records.

For the marriage or civil partnership question specifically, the registration page is the place to confirm your forms and documents before you proceed.