On 4th May, the long-trailed changes to the way Marriages are registered come into force. A copy of the 10th Edition of the Clergy Newsletter which outlines these changes is available here:
Update 24th June – The Coronavirus and marriage in the Church of England – Guidance to clergy
The full text of the new guidance is below.
The Coronavirus and marriage in the Church of England – Guidance to clergy
The Government has announced that churches can now be opened for marriages from the 4th July, subject to physical distancing and limited to 30 people being present.
There are a number of issues relating to the opening up of churches which are not wholly straightforward, each church will need to assess how it is going to do this, making arrangements as to cleaning and how to address situations where parish clergy are continuing to ‘shield’ etc.
The Registry is monitoring the situation, and the advice being issued by the Government, the national church and diocesan guidance/directions and more detailed guidance will be issued supplementing the previous advice on this website, when things are clearer.
In the meantime, couples wishing to arrange a marriage should contact their parish priest or the minister of the church concerned in the first instance.
Diocesan Registry
1 The Sanctuary
Westminster
London
24th June 2020
The Coronavirus and Marriage in the Church of England – GUIDANCE TO CLERGY
New Guidance from the Registrar is available here.
The full link is http://admindiocesanregistry.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Coronavirus-and-Marriage-in-the-C-of-E-GUIDANCE-TO-CLERGY.pdf
New Faculty Rules
New Faculty Rules come into effect on the 1st April 2020. Guidance will be published to DACs, Registrars, Archdeacons and Chancellors in January. We will be issuing some guidance early in the New Year on the changes and how these will affect those involved in faculties, especially in the parishes.
Marriage Registration changes and new Church Representation Rules
Marriage Registration changes and new Church Representation Rules
The Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 came into force earlier this year. It has three main provisions: first, the extension of civil partnerships to couples not of the same sex; second, to allow for the mother’s name to be entered on marriage certificates and registers; and third, to provide for electronic registration of all marriages in England and Wales.
Information is available here: Marriage Registration changes and new Church Representation Rules
Marriage registration – new procedures
You may already be aware from the media or via social media over the weekend of 10/11 August 2019 that the way in which marriages are registered is set to change following the passing into law of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019 which, as well as providing for opposite-sex couples to be able to enter into civil partnerships, will allow for mother’s names to be included in Marriage Registers as well as/in place of father’s names. It also makes provision for significant changes in the way that marriages are registered. Full details from the link below
Marriage Registration – Note for Diocesan Registry Website – August 2019
Brexit, Banns & EEA/Swiss Nationals
Sham marriage scheme to continue – see Marriage
PCC’s obliged to report serious incidents direct to Charity Commission
New Parochial fees from January 2019
The Fees were amended on 1st January and they, together with FAQs and further details, can be found on the Church of England’s web-page on Fees.
Registry website upgraded
The Registry website has been completely rebuilt and users will now find:
- faster searches
- mobile (works on phones, iPads, etc)
- links to the new Church of England website updated
and many more ‘under-the-hood’ improvements.