Civil Marriage and Partnership VenueThe owner or manager of any venue in Southwark planning to host civil marriages or other celebratory ceremonies must have a valid licence.
All applicants must gain permission form the registrar for suitability of civil marriage
How to apply for a licence
Before applying for a licence, the venue has to be inspected by the Registrar's Office to meet the suitability criteria. Please contact
Marcia Mitchell
Tel: 020 7525 7669
Fax: 020 7525 7652
marcia.mitchell@southwark.gov.uk
Superintendent Registrar
Southwark Registration Service
34 Peckham Road
Camberwell
London SE5 8QA
Download the  Civil Marriage and partnership Venue Licence application form. To view this document, you need Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer. Download Adobe Acrobat for free. Please print out the form and return it to us. If you are unable to print the form, contact us using the details at the bottom of this page and we will post one to you.
Please send your completed form with a cheque or postal order for the fee shown below, made payable to the London Borough of Southwark. We will contact you to arrange an inspection of your premises once your application has been received.
Fees for 2007 to 2008
Go to our licensing fees page
Advertising your application
As well as sending your application to us, you must also advertise your application so that local residents and businesses can have the opportunity to comment on it. This advertisement should take the form of a notice placed in a local newspaper that is available in newsagents in the area you the premises is located in eg South London Press or the Southwark News.
Download the newspaper advert template (14 kb). To view this document, you need Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer. Download Adobe Acrobat for free.
Once the newspaper has published your notice, please send a copy of the newspaper to the address below.
If your application is refused, you may appeal at a public hearing. Find out about decisions and appeals for the grant of Civil Marriage Ceremony licences. To view this document, you need Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer. Download Adobe Acrobat for free.
Remember, it is an offence to operate without a licence or to breach the terms of the licence.
Licence conditions
The premises where you plan to hold the ceremonies will be inspected before a licence will be issued, to ensure it meets health and safety standards. For further details of these health and safety standards. To view this document, you need Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer. Download Adobe Acrobat for free.
The following conditions must also be satisfied before a licence will be issued
- The holder of the approval must ensure that there is at all times an individual with responsibility for ensuring compliance with these conditions "the responsible person" and that the responsible person's occupation, seniority, position of responsibility in relation to the premises or other factors, his "qualification", indicate that he is in a position to ensure compliance with these conditions
- The responsible person or, in his absence, an appropriately qualified deputy appointed by him shall be available on the premises for a minimum of one hour prior to each marriage ceremony and throughout each marriage ceremony
- The holder must notify the authority of their name and address immediately upon becoming the holder of an approval under regulation 7(2) and of the name, address and qualification of the responsible person immediately upon the appointment of a new responsible person
- The holder must also notify the authority immediately of any change to any of the following
- The layout of the premises, as shown in the plan submitted with the approved application or in the use of the premises
- The name or full postal address of the approved premises
- The description of the room or rooms in which marriages are to be solemnised
- The name or address of the holder of the approval
- The name, address or qualification of the responsible person
- The approved premises must be available at all reasonable times for inspection by the authority
- A suitable notice stating that the premises have been approved for the Solemnisation of marriages in pursuance of section 26(1)(bb) of the Marriage Act 1949 and identifying and giving directions to the room in which a marriage ceremony is to take place must be displayed at each public entrance to the premises for one hour prior to the ceremony and throughout the ceremony
- No food or drink may be sold or consumed in the room in which a marriage ceremony takes place for one hour prior to that ceremony or during that ceremony
- All marriage ceremonies must take place in a room or rooms approved by the council for the solemnisation of marriages on the plan submitted with the approved application
- The room in which the marriage is solemnised must be separate from any other activity on the premises at the time of the ceremony
- The arrangements for and content of each marriage ceremony must meet with the prior approval of the superintendent registrar of the district in which the approved premises are situated
- Any reading, music, words or performance which forms part of a ceremony of marriage must be secular in nature; for this purpose any such material used by way of introduction to, or any interval between parts of, or by way of conclusion to the ceremony shall be treated as forming part of the ceremony
- Public access to any ceremony of marriage solemnised in approved premises must be permitted without charge
- Any reference to the approval of premises on any sign or notice, or on any stationery or publication, or within any advertisement may state that the premises have been approved by the authority as a venue for marriage in pursuance of section 26(1)(bb) of the Act, but shall not state or imply any recommendation of the premises or its facilities by the authority, the Registrar General or any of the officers or employees of either of them
Contact us
Please contact us if you have any questions or would prefer to have the application form and related information posted to you.
Licensing unit
Tel: 020 7525 2000
Fax: 020 7525 3077
licensing@southwark.gov.uk
Chaplin Centre
Thurlow Street
London
SE17 2DG |