Can you marry when your partner has no UK address yet?
You can still give notice even if one of you has no long-term UK address yet, but you must each give notice in the registration district where you have lived for at least the last seven days, so a temporary address such as a friend's home or short-term accommodation can usually be used if that is genuinely where you are staying.
The seven-day residence rule
Notice is given in the district covering wherever you have actually been resident for at least seven days immediately before your appointment — it does not need to be a permanent home. Hotel stays, staying with family, or short-term rented rooms can count if you can evidence them.
Evidence when you're newly arrived
Register offices ask for proof of address alongside proof of identity. If you have just arrived and do not yet have utility bills in your name, a letter from whoever you're staying with, a tenancy agreement, or hotel booking confirmation covering the relevant period can help support your notice.
If either partner is not a British or Irish citizen without settled status, the immigration control rules on designated register offices apply on top of the address rules.
Once you move again
If you move to a different registration district after giving notice but before the ceremony, this does not usually invalidate the notice, but tell the register office where you're marrying so records stay accurate.
What this means for you
- You do not need a permanent address to give notice — seven days' residence at your current address is the test.
- Gather whatever address evidence you can — a supporting letter is often enough if formal bills don't exist yet.
- Check the immigration control rules too if either of you needs a designated register office.
Official sources
- GOV.UK — Give notice at your local register office
- GOV.UK — Marriages and civil partnerships in the UK
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.