Getting married (2024)

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Introduction

Getting married is a big decision and is one of the most significant eventsin someone's life. However, there are rules and procedures you must follow inorder to marry in Ireland. There are also rules and procedures if you areordinarily resident here and choose to marry abroad.

Aside from the rules about how and where you can marry, marriage willimmediately affect lots of areas of your life. Your legal status, yourinheritance rights, and pensions are just some things that will change.

Requirements for marriage

Notification requirements formarriage

If you are getting married in Ireland (whether you are an Irish citizen or aforeign national), you must notify the Registrar of your intention to marry atleast 3 months before your wedding day.

You must make this notification in person to any Registrar. When you meetthe Registrar, you will sign a declaration stating that you do not know of anylegal reason why the marriage cannot happen. If everything is in order, theregistrar gives you a marriage registration form (MRF). The MRF gives youauthorisation or permission to get married. You give it to the person who willbe solemnising your marriage.

Find out how to notify theRegistrar that you will be getting married in Ireland.

The requirement to give 3-months' notice does not apply to civil partnerswhose civil partnership was registered in Ireland. If civil partners choose tomarry, their civil partnership is automatically dissolved.

Read more about notification requirementsfor marriage.

Postponing your wedding

If you have already started your 3-month notice period but have had topostpone your wedding, your MRF is valid for 6 months after your originalwedding date.

If your rescheduled wedding date is within this 6-monthperiod, your MRF can be amended. To do this, you should contact thelocal civil registration service where you originally served notice of yourintention to marry.

If your rescheduled wedding date is after this6-month period, you will need to contact the office where youoriginally served notice and give them your new date of marriage. You must dothis at least 3 months before your new marriage date. You will need to meetwith the Registrar again to get a new MRF. There is no charge for this.

Different ways of getting married

There are different legal ways of gettingmarried in Ireland. These include civil marriage ceremonies and religious and secularmarriage ceremonies. Requirements of different faiths and secular bodiesmay differ, so check in advance with the relevant member of the clergy or bodyfor further information.

Since November 2007, no matter how you marry (that is, through a civil,secular or religious ceremony), the registration process is the same. You areissued with a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) by the Registrar, followingnotification, which gives you authorisation to get married. You give it to theperson who will be solemnising your marriage. Following the marriage ceremony,the completed MRF should be given to a Registrar, within one month of themarriage ceremony, for themarriage to be registered. Some civil registration services have a walk-inservice. You need to phone and book an appointment for others. You cannot getyour marriage certificate until the marriage is registered.

Getting married abroad

Changes to your legal statusfollowing marriage

Getting married affects many areas of your life in Ireland. These range fromlife insurance and pensions, to inheritance, presumption ofpaternity and even taxation.Find out howmarriage affects your legal status.

Further information

Visit the HSE's website for further information on howto get married in Ireland.