Getting married at home or in hospital
If you or your partner cannot travel because of a serious illness, injury or disability, you may be able to marry at home, in hospital or in a hospice, either through the housebound person's route or, where death is expected imminently, through a Registrar General's licence. Both routes need supporting evidence and should be arranged as early as possible.
The housebound person's route
This applies where a person is unable, or it would be seriously detrimental to their health, to attend a register office or approved venue because of illness or disability, but is not in the final stages of a terminal illness. A doctor's statement confirming this is normally required, and notice and the ceremony can then take place at the person's home or care setting.
Registrar General's licence for serious illness
Where someone is seriously ill and not expected to recover, a Registrar General's licence allows a marriage to go ahead at very short notice, without waiting the standard notice period, at the bedside — including in a hospital, hospice or at home. This route requires a doctor's statement confirming the medical circumstances.
Getting the process moving quickly
Both routes involve medical evidence and coordination with your local register office, so contact them as soon as you know this may apply. Hospital chaplaincy or patient liaison teams, and hospice staff, can often help put you in touch with the right people quickly.
What this means for you
- A serious illness does not have to mean giving up on marrying — there are legal routes for exactly this situation.
- You will need a doctor's statement to support either the housebound route or a Registrar General's licence.
- The Registrar General's licence route can bypass the usual notice period where time is genuinely short.
Official sources
- GOV.UK — Marriages and civil partnerships in the UK
- GOV.UK — Give notice at your local register office
Last reviewed: 17 August 2026 · Next review due 17 November 2026
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Simply Married is an independent planning service, not a register office or government department. Confirm current requirements and fees with your own register office and on GOV.UK.