register overseas marriage in the uk

stranger12

Hi All,

I have been married for 10 years and have the abroad documents but it is in a different language and have a translation form it , from 8 years ago stamped and done by official translation place.


how can I register this in the UK and what is involved?
many thanks

TonyMMM

You can't - only events taking place in the UK are registered here ( with some exceptions for Armed Services personnel serving abroad).

There used to be an option to deposit a copy of the documents with GRO, through the Foreign Office / local British Consulate, but that has been withdrawn.

balletshoes

I'm not sure you can anymore, from the beginning of 2014 (I just had a quick look on the gov.uk website about it)-

https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships/what-you-need-to-do

and

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/marriage-certificate-registry-service-discontinued-for-overseas-brits

i don't think its particularly clear from that, but you might find something more concrete with a bit more research.

I married abroad donkeys years ago, my marriage certificate is an international one, I've never bothered getting it lodged here in the UK.

stranger12

yes been looking online and it looks like that was withdrawed in 2013.

so how do I proof I am married for legal reasons ?

Do I have to carry the translated copy of the marriage certificate everywhere?

for any legal purpose, does uk government accept marriage certificate as legal and reliable not considering which country it is from ?

also can I re register in here? Do I need to have a ceremony or can just book an appointment and pay the fee to register it ?

TonyMMM

You can't re-register your overseas marriage here because it didn't take place in the UK, nor can you have any other legal ceremony or registration here to get it recorded.

The proof you are married is the certificate issued at the time, and that (in translation) would be accepted for legal purposes - the marriage is recognised as legally valid in the UK as long as the marriage is legal in the country in which it took place.

victor2

Married abroad 30 years ago, with marriage certificate in French. In all that time, have only had to have it translated into English once - to support another overseas transaction funnily enough, where they accept English documents, but not French, even though neither are their native language.

Had no problems in this country with the French certificate. It was accepted to get OH's British citizenship, although that was a good few years back.

balletshoes

stranger12 wrote: »

yes been looking online and it looks like that was withdrawed in 2013.

so how do I proof I am married for legal reasons ?

Do I have to carry the translated copy of the marriage certificate everywhere?

for any legal purpose, does uk government accept marriage certificate as legal and reliable not considering which country it is from ?

also can I re register in here? Do I need to have a ceremony or can just book an appointment and pay the fee to register it ?

how often are you asked to provide proof that you are married? Apart from when changing my surname on bank accounts/passport etc when I first got married, I haven't been asked to prove I'm married in the last 15 years, for any reason.

Your original marriage certificate, and the official translation you already have, is all the proof you will need.

peachyprice

stranger12 wrote: »

Do I have to carry the translated copy of the marriage certificate everywhere?

Why would you need to carry your marriage certificate everywhere?

stranger12

Well was just asked to produce it and it clicked it , what happens if it is not registered in the uk

Also i recall having death insurance from work which pays my family 5 times my salary and want to ensure in event i die or anything else my possessions are passed on and my wife is recognised as my wife by Uk laws

Reading above , it doesn't matter what country it was registered in and as long as it was done and registered in 1 country around the world then it is valid for all purposes here?

balletshoes

stranger12 wrote: »

Well was just asked to produce it and it clicked it , what happens if it is not registered in the uk

Also i recall having death insurance from work which pays my family 5 times my salary and want to ensure in event i die or anything else my possessions are passed on and my wife is recognised as my wife by Uk laws

Reading above , it doesn't matter what country it was registered in and as long as it was done and registered in 1 country around the world then it is valid for all purposes here?

yes, as long as its a valid marriage certificate from a legal marriage performed in another country, its a recognised marriage certificate here in the UK as well.