Introduction
How to licence your premises to be able to hold marriages and Civil Ceremonies.
You can find full details on the suitability of premises in the Approved Premises Application pack. You should consider the following requirements before making your application:
- The premises must, in our opinion, be a decent and dignified venue for a marriage or civil partnership
- The premises must be regularly available to be used for the solemnisation of marriages or formation of civil partnerships
- Licensed premises cannot be religious premises. This is premises used solely or mainly for religious purposes, or have been used that way and have not subsequently been used solely or mainly for other purposes.
How to apply
To apply for a licence to hold marriages or civil partnerships at your premises, you must complete an Approved Premises Application pack. You can also request an application pack from Registration Services by using the contact information below.
The cost will vary depending on how many rooms you would like to include. A standard application to licence 2 rooms costs £1,750 and runs for 3 years. Detailed information about costs are in the application pack.
Your completed application must be accompanied by a number of other documents, as well as scale plans of the building. The areas for licensing must be clearly marked on the plan. In the pack there are full details of all the documentation needed.
When we receive your completed application, we will arrange for us and the Superintendent Registrar to visit you. This will be along with Health and Safety and Fire representatives to discuss the suitability of your premises.
Your application must be advertised on our website with a statutory waiting period of 3 weeks to make sure there are no objections to the licence.
Granting a licence
In most cases a licence is granted within 8 to 10 weeks of the application. But this can vary greatly between premises, depending on the findings of the Health and Safety and Fire representatives.
Contact the team
Rebecca Dawe, Business Support Supervisor – Certificates and Licencing, Somerset Registration Service, The Old Municipal Building, Corporation Street, Taunton, TA1 4AQ
Email – rdawe@somerset.gov.uk