Couples looking to tie the knot in North Northamptonshire may have to wait for their happy day after a troublesome one-two punch – increasing demand for marriages and civil partnerships, and high levels of staff absenteeism.
By law, unless they marry in the Church of England or Church in Wales by prohibition or general license, individuals are required to enter into a marriage or civil partnership agreement.
This means a legally valid declaration that both parties can marry freely and must prove this with passports or complete birth certificates as well as proof of address.
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Weddings and civil partnerships may need to be postponed
North Northamptonshire Council’s online booking system has been suspended, giving short notice for those required by law to enter into a marriage or civil partnership declaration.
A North Northamptonshire Council spokesman said: “Due to mixed staffing pressures, we have seen a large number of staff absenteeism recently at a time when service demands have increased.
“We have taken urgent steps to resolve this and have contacted customers who have booked appointments for a marriage notification but will not be getting married for a considerable time in order to re-prioritize our appointment availability to meet the demand for a general registration service.
“In order to also manage demand, we have temporarily deactivated the online booking function for the marriage.”
CJM Photography
CJM Photography
Anyone who is getting married within the next three months and has either not made the declaration of marriage or partnership or is of the opinion that it was made more than 12 months ago and is no longer valid should contact the service of the Council.
All marriages or civil partnerships must occur within 29 days from the announcement to the date of the wedding ceremony and may be longer for those subject to immigration controls.
It is recommended to declare the marriage or civil partnership at least eight weeks before the wedding and both parties must submit their declarations to the registration office of their place of residence. You must have lived for at least nine days in the district of the municipal registration office in which you submitted your notice of termination.
A minimum fee of € 35 is charged for the marriage certificate.
Northamptonshire has around 90 approved venues for wedding and civil partnership ceremonies. Click here for the full list. Anyone who needs assistance with their registration should email North Northamptonshire [email protected]