Marriage and Civil Partnership
You can get married or form your civil partnership in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea no matter where you live.
There are around 30 venues within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea which have been licensed for civil ceremonies.
The most famous of the venues within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and known worldwide, is of course our own Chelsea Old Town Hall. Designed in the late Victorian era and constructed in the early Edwardian era, the Chelsea Old Town Hall is a graceful building in the heart of Chelsea which houses six licensed rooms, namely the Brydon Room, the Rossetti Room, the Harrington Room; and the Main Hall, Small Halls, and Cadogan Suite.
Choose from one of the rooms at the Chelsea Old Town Hall, or any of our other approved venues
Ensure that you both attend your notice appointment at the latest 29 days before your ceremony date (71 days, if either of you is subject to immigration control) to gain legal clearance for your ceremony to proceed.
Choose a venue
Chelsea Old Town Hall
The most famous of the venues within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and known worldwide, is of course our own Chelsea Old Town Hall. Designed in the late Victorian era and constructed in the early Edwardian era, the Chelsea Old Town Hall is the most famous of the venues within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and known worldwide, is of course our own Chelsea Old Town Hall. Designed in the late Victorian era and constructed in the early Edwardian era, the Chelsea Old Town Hall is a beautiful and stylish classic building located on the King’s Road in Chelsea. The Chelsea Old Town Hall houses the Brydon Room, the Rossetti Room and the Harrington Room.
Other venues
Kensington and Chelsea is also home to a whole range of different venues for your ceremony. Some of our venues can offer facilities for parties of over 300 people whilst others are more suitable for smaller, intimate occasions. In order to be married or form your civil partnership at one of our approved venues, you must first make a booking with the venue of your choice before booking the registrars online.
Booking a ceremony
You can make a provisional booking for a ceremony at the Chelsea Old Town Hall – or other venues licensed for ceremonies in Kensington and Chelsea – online. Your ceremony booking is provisional until you’ve given notice of intention to marry or enter into civil partnership.
How and when to give notice of intent
Before you can get married or have a civil partnership in England or Wales, it’s a legal requirement to give notice before your ceremony. The earliest date that notice can be given is 12 months before the marriage.
If you are both British or EEA / Swiss citizens with settled or pre-settled status, then you must give notice (separately if required) at the register office in which you each reside. Notice must be given no later than 29 days before your marriage.
If one or both of you is a non-EEA citizen, or an EEA / Swiss citizen without settled or pre-settled status, then you both must give notice together at a register office in the district where one or both of you reside(s). You should complete your notice at least 71 days before your ceremony. There will also be an additional Home Office statutory referral fee of £24 which will be paid at the end of your appointment.
If you are a non-EEA citizen and you hold settled or pre-settled status and you are marrying a British citizen or an EEA / Swiss citizen with settled or pre-settled status, then you must give notice together at the register office in which one of you resides. Notice must be given no later than 29 days before your marriage.
A person with settled or pre-settled status is required to share their status through the online EUSS status checker tool. You must request a six-digit code before your appointment from the GOV.UK page at View and prove your immigration status - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Book an appointment to give notice of intention to marry
Book an appointment to give notice of intention to enter into civil partnership
Frequently asked questions
We’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions about ceremonies and notices into one place.
What documents do I need?
When you attend your appointment to give notice of intention, you must each bring the following documents with you:
- Your valid, original passport
- Your immigration status document (if applicable)
- A recent passport sized photograph each, if either of you is subject to immigration control
- Proof of address in one of the following formats: a bank statement dated within the last month; a utility bill dated within the last three months; a council tax statement dated within the last year
- If either of you has been married or in a civil partnership before, proof of how this ended e.g. your decree absolute of divorce or dissolution (or foreign equivalent); or death certificate of your former spouse and your last marriage / civil partnership certificate.
- A person with settled or pre-settled status is required to share their status through the online EUSS status checker tool. You must request a six-digit code before your appointment from the view and prove your immigration status GOV.UK page.
The statutory fee for giving notice is £35 per person, payable at the time of booking the appointment. There is an additional Home Office statutory referral fee of £24 for those subject to immigration control (payable at the appointment). There is also a statutory fee of £75 for clearance of foreign divorces or dissolutions (payable at the appointment).
All documents must be originals. Any documents not in English must be accompanied by a third party translation into English on which the translator certifies that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document seen by them.
Each person who does not speak English must attend the appointment with an interpreter.
Once you’ve given notice of intention, we ask you to pay the ceremony attendance fee for your ceremony and submit your ceremony choices form, so that we can ensure everything ready for our big day and your ceremony will be tailored to your exact wishes.
Advice if residing abroad
In order to get married or have a civil partnership in England or Wales, the law requires you both to be resident in England or Wales. Resident means both of you having been at one address in England or Wales for at least eight days immediately prior to the date of your appointment to give notice of intention to marry or enter into civil partnership.Therefore, if one or both of you are residing abroad, you will need to return to England or Wales for at least eight days in order to give notice of intention to marry or enter into civil partnership. Your marriage or civil partnership can proceed 29 days after you give notice (sometimes 71 days if either of you is a non-EEA national).
You must bring to your appointment all the required documents as stated above in the ‘What documents do I need’ section. We understand however that if you are residing in England or Wales for at least eight days to give your notice of intention it may be difficult for you to obtain the usual proof of address. In these circumstances only, we are able to accept alternative evidence as proof of address. This should be an official letter signed by the occupier of the property where you are residing, confirming that you have lived at the property for at least the eight days immediately prior to your appointment to give notice of intention. They should include the address of the property as well as their name and contact details, ensuring that the letter is dated immediately prior before the appointment. The occupier can be the friend or family member whose property you are residing in or, if you are staying in a hotel, the hotel manager / administrator. If this is not possible then a provisional bill from the hotel should be obtained containing your names and dates of stay. In both cases, please also bring proof of your date of arrival such as a stamp in your passport or flight confirmation to support the contents of the letter
After having given notice, you are both free to travel again before the date of your marriage or civil partnership. Your marriage authorities or civil partnership schedule is valid for one year from the date that you gave notice, for your chosen venue only. It is therefore your choice whether you remain in the UK after you’ve given notice until your ceremony, or whether you prefer to leave the UK to return later in the year for the ceremony itself.
Registrars cannot give immigration advice. Please note however that for non-EEA/Swiss nationals, you must ensure that you have the relevant visa for marriage or civil partnership before entering the UK ideally to give notice and definitely for the ceremony itself. If you don’t have indefinite leave to remain or diplomatic immunity, this would usually be a fiancé visa (for a non-EEA national residing abroad joining an EEA/Swiss partner in the UK or non-EEA/Swiss person with settled status in the UK) or a marriage visitor visa (if both of you are entering the UK solely for your marriage or civil partnership and will leave the UK again immediately afterwards). Both of these visas are usually valid for six months from the date of application, so if you obtain these visas to give notice and are planning to leave the UK after you give notice, make sure you return for your ceremony before the visa’s expiry. For more information visit the GOV.UK website.
We regret that there are no exceptions to this rule, even if you are a British citizen living abroad. You cannot give notice from abroad such as at a British embassy – this includes from Ireland or Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey and its dependencies. Special legal arrangements are in place if one of you is usually resident in Scotland; in these cases, please contact us at [email protected] for further information.
How much our ceremonies cost
Fees and charges for Ceremonies 2021-22
Harrington Room at Chelsea Old Town Hall
- Monday – Friday £250 (£100 Booking, £150 Attendance)
Rossetti Room at Chelsea Old Town Hall
- Monday – Friday £400 (£100 Booking, £300 Attendance)
- Saturday £450 (£100 Booking, £350 Attendance)
- Sunday £650 (£100 Booking, £550 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £750 (£100 Booking, £650 Attendance)
Brydon Room at Chelsea Old Town Hall
- Monday – Friday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Saturday £700 (£100 Booking, £600 Attendance)
- Sunday £800 (£100 Booking, £700 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £900 (£100 Booking, £800 Attendance)
Mayor’s Parlour at Kensington Town Hall
Until 31 March 2022
- Saturday £650 (£100 Booking, £550 Attendance)
Other Ceremony Venues in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Service 2021-22
- Monday – Friday £600 (£100 Booking, £500 Attendance)
- Saturday £700 (£100 Booking, £600 Attendance)
- Sunday £800 (£100 Booking, £700 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £900 (£100 Booking, £800 Attendance)
Small Hall, Main Hall or Cadogan Suite at Chelsea Old town Hall
- Monday – Friday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Saturday £700 (£100 Booking, £600 Attendance)
- Sunday £800 (£100 Booking, £700 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £900 (£100 Booking, £800 Attendance)
Register Office Ceremonies (Non-Refundable Booking Fee) £46
Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate £11
Fees and charges for Ceremonies 2022-23
Harrington Room at Chelsea Old Town Hall
Summer season, 1 April 2022 to 31 October 2022
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £255 (£100 Booking, £155 Attendance)
- Fridays £275 (£100 Booking, £175 Attendance)
- Saturdays £425 (£100 Booking, £325 Attendance)
- Sundays £525 (£100 Booking, £425 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £625 (£100 Booking, £525 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £265 (£100 Booking, £165 Attendance)
- Fridays £285 (£100 Booking, £185 Attendance)
- Saturdays £445 (£100 Booking, £345 Attendance)
- Sundays £545 (£100 Booking, £445 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £645 (£100 Booking, £545 Attendance)
Winter season, 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £250 (£100 Booking, £150 Attendance)
- Fridays 270 (£100 Booking, £170 Attendance)
- Saturdays £420 (£100 Booking, £320 Attendance)
- Sundays £520 (£100 Booking, £420 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £620 (£100 Booking, £520 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £260 (£100 Booking, £160 Attendance)
- Fridays £280 (£100 Booking, £180 Attendance)
- Saturdays £440 (£100 Booking, £340 Attendance)
- Sundays £540 (£100 Booking, £440 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £640 (£100 Booking, £540 Attendance)
Register Office Ceremonies (Non-Refundable Booking Fee) £46
Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate £11
Rossetti Room at Chelsea Old Town Hall
Summer season 1 April 2022 to 31 October 2022
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £410 (£100 Booking, £310 Attendance)
- Fridays £430 (£100 Booking, £330 Attendance)
- Saturdays £475 (£100 Booking, £375 Attendance)
- Sundays £675 (£100 Booking, £575 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £775 (£100 Booking, £675 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £420 (£100 Booking, £320 Attendance)
- Fridays £440 (£100 Booking, £340 Attendance)
- Saturdays £490 (£100 Booking, £390 Attendance)
- Sundays £690 (£100 Booking, £590 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £790 (£100 Booking, £690 Attendance)
Winter season 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £400 (£100 Booking, £300 Attendance)
- Fridays £420 (£100 Booking, £320 Attendance)
- Saturdays £460 (£100 Booking, £360 Attendance)
- Sundays £660 (£100 Booking, £560 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £760 (£100 Booking, £660 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £415 (£100 Booking, £315 Attendance)
- Fridays £435 (£100 Booking, £335 Attendance)
- Saturdays £480 (£100 Booking, £380 Attendance)
- Sundays £680 (£100 Booking, £580 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £780 (£100 Booking, £680 Attendance)
Register Office Ceremonies (Non-Refundable Booking Fee) £46
Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate £11
Brydon Room at Chelsea Old Town Hall
Summer season 1 April 2022 to 31 October 2022
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £560 (£100 Booking, £460 Attendance)
- Fridays £580 (£100 Booking, £480 Attendance)
- Saturdays £740 (£100 Booking, £640 Attendance)
- Sundays £840 (£100 Booking, £740 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £940 (£100 Booking, £840 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £575 (£100 Booking, £475 Attendance)
- Fridays £595 (£100 Booking, £495 Attendance)
- Saturdays £760 (£100 Booking, £660 Attendance)
- Sundays £860 (£100 Booking, £760 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £960 (£100 Booking, £860 Attendance)
Winter season 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Fridays £570 (£100 Booking, £470 Attendance)
- Saturdays £720 (£100 Booking, £620 Attendance)
- Sundays £820 (£100 Booking, £720 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £920 (£100 Booking, £820 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Mondays to Thursdays £565 £100 Booking, £465 Attendance
- Fridays £585 (£100 Booking, £485 Attendance)
- Saturdays £750 (£100 Booking, £650 Attendance)
- Sundays £850 (£100 Booking, £750 Attendance)
- Public Holidays £950 (£100 Booking, £850 Attendance)
Register Office Ceremonies (Non-Refundable Booking Fee) £46
Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate £11
Other Ceremony Venues in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Summer season 1 April 2022 to 31 October 2022
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £620 (£100 Booking, £520 Attendance)
- Friday £640 (£100 Booking, £540 Attendance)
- Saturday £740 (£100 Booking, £640 Attendance)
- Sunday £840 (£100 Booking, £740 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £940 (£100 Booking, £840 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £630 (£100 Booking, £530 Attendance)
- Friday £650 (£100 Booking, £550 Attendance)
- Saturday £765 (£100 Booking, £665 Attendance)
- Sunday £865 (£100 Booking, £765 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £965 (£100 Booking, £865 Attendance)
Winter season, 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £610 (£100 Booking, £510 Attendance)
- Friday £630 (£100 Booking, £530 Attendance)
- Saturday £720 (£100 Booking, £620 Attendance)
- Sunday £820 (£100 Booking, £720 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £920 (£100 Booking, £820 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Monday-Thursday £620 (£100 Booking, £520 Attendance)
- Friday £640 (£100 Booking, £540 Attendance)
- Saturday £750 (£100 Booking, £650 Attendance)
- Sunday £850 (£100 Booking, £750 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £950 (£100 Booking, £850 Attendance)
Register Office Ceremonies (Non-Refundable Booking Fee) £46
Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate £11
Mayor’s Parlour at Kensington Town Hall
Summer season 1 April 2022 to 31 October 2022
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Friday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Saturday £650 (£100 Booking, £550 Attendance)
- Sunday £750 (£100 Booking, £650 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £850 (£100 Booking, £750 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Friday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Saturday £650 (£100 Booking, £550 Attendance)
- Sunday £750 (£100 Booking, £650 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £850 (£100 Booking, £750 Attendance)
Winter season, 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Friday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Saturday £650 (£100 Booking, £550 Attendance)
- Sunday £750 (£100 Booking, £650 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £850 (£100 Booking, £750 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Friday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Saturday £650 (£100 Booking, £550 Attendance)
- Sunday £750 (£100 Booking, £650 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £850 (£100 Booking, £750 Attendance)
Register Office Ceremonies (Non-Refundable Booking Fee) £46
Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate £11
Small Hall, Main Hall or Cadogan Suite at Chelsea Old town Hall
Summer season 1 April 2022 to 31 October 2022
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £560 (£100 Booking, £460 Attendance)
- Friday £580 (£100 Booking, £480 Attendance)
- Saturday £740 (£100 Booking, £640 Attendance)
- Sunday £840 (£100 Booking, £740 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £940 (£100 Booking, £840 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Monday-Thursday £575 (£100 Booking, £475 Attendance)
- Friday £595 (£100 Booking, £495 Attendance)
- Saturday £760 (£100 Booking, £660 Attendance)
- Sunday £860 (£100 Booking, £760 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £960 (£100 Booking, £860 Attendance)
Winter season, 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023
Mornings (until 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Friday £570 (£100 Booking, £470 Attendance)
- Saturday £720 (£100 Booking, £620 Attendance)
- Sunday £820 (£100 Booking, £720 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £920 (£100 Booking, £820 Attendance)
Afternoons (from 12pm):
- Monday to Thursday £550 (£100 Booking, £450 Attendance)
- Friday £585 (£100 Booking, £485 Attendance)
- Saturday £750 (£100 Booking, £650 Attendance)
- Sunday £850 (£100 Booking, £750 Attendance)
- Public Holiday £950 (£100 Booking, £850 Attendance)
Register Office Ceremonies (Non-Refundable Booking Fee) £46
Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate £11
Converting a Civil Partnership into a Marriage
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 provides for couples currently in a civil partnership to be able to convert this into a marriage. Under current legislation, there is no provision to convert an opposite sex civil partnership to a marriage in England and Wales. Similarly, you cannot convert a same sex or opposite sex marriage to a civil partnership.
If you wish to convert your civil partnership to marriage you will only be able to do so if your civil partnership took place in England or Wales (or overseas in a British consulate or armed forces base where it was registered according to the laws of England and Wales) on or after Monday 5 December 2005, and as long as your civil partnership has not been dissolved.
There are two different types of Civil Partnership conversions: a one stage procedure and a two stage procedure.
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Procedure | The one stage procedure is when you have a ‘conversion’ appointment in which the ‘conversion declaration’ is prepared and signed. There is no ceremony as part of Stage 1 however you may opt to say an official ‘Declaration Wording’ to each other if you so wish. | The two stage procedure is when you have a ‘conversion’ appointment in which the ‘conversion declaration’ is prepared. On a subsequent date you then attend an approved venue where you sign the conversion declaration and have a non-legal Conversion Ceremony to celebrate your new status. |
| Cost | £45 plus £11 per certificate | £27, plus cost of ceremony, plus £11 per certificate |
- You may attend your ‘conversion’ appointment in a Register Office of your choice and this Register Office does not have to be the same one in which your civil partnership took place. This means that even if your civil partnership did not take place within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea you will still be able to have your conversion here.
- When you attend your ‘conversion’ appointment both of you will need to be present and to bring with you your passports, proof of your addresses and your legal civil partnership certificate. During this appointment the ‘conversion declaration’ will be prepared for signing.
- Your civil partnership becomes a marriage when both of you sign the ‘conversion declaration’. This declaration confirms that you have not dissolved your civil partnership and that you both wish to convert your civil partnership into a marriage.
- Once you have signed your ‘conversion declaration’ your marriage will be deemed to have existed since the date of your civil partnership.
- Please note that a conversion is not a marriage ceremony, although you will be issued with a marriage certificate to confirm that your civil partnership has been converted into a marriage. If you choose the Stage 2 procedure you will be able to have a ceremony as part of your celebrations where you may say words to each other and exchange rings.
- If you are using the Stage 1 procedure you will be issued your marriage certificates at the end of your ‘conversion’ appointment.
- If you are using the Stage 2 procedure your marriage certificates will be available for you to collect from the Kensington and Chelsea Register Office on the next working day.
Book a civil partnership to marriage conversion
