Registering a religious building for marriage

How to apply for a building to be certified as a place of worship

You will need two copies of Form 76, which can be obtained from the superintendent registrar at your local register office, see contact details opposite.

The forms can be signed by any person who can represent the congregation. When they are filled in you should return them to the superintendent registrar with:

• a floor plan of the building. This does not need to be professionally drawn or to scale, but must show all the rooms, doorways, floors and staircases.
• an average weekly timetable of religious and any other activities that take place at the building. This must also include any activities not run by the congregation. This is to allow the Registrar General to be satisfied that the building is primarily used for religious worship.
• the £28 fee payable to the Superintendent Registrar of the district where the building is located. Cheques or postal orders payable to Plymouth City Council. Cash or credit card payable in person at Plymouth Register Office.

Note: You do not have to apply for a building to be certified by the Registrar General for it to be used as a place of worship. However, following a recording as a place of worship you may be entitled to a reduction in or exemption from council tax. You should contact the Valuation Office at your local authority for more information.

How to apply for a building to be registered for the solemnisation of marriages

To apply for this the building must also be certified as a place of worship. (If the building is not already certified the two applications can be made at the same time).

You will need two copies of Form 78, which can be obtained from the superintendent registrar at your local register office, see contact details opposite.

These must be signed by twenty householders who regard the building as their usual place of worship. A householder is any person who resides at an address and has either sole or joint responsibility for that household. The forms must also be countersigned by a trustee of, or the proprietor of, the actual building.

The forms should be returned to the superintendent registrar with the £120 fee payable to the Superintendent Registrar of the district where the building is located. Cheques or postal orders payable to Plymouth City Council. Cash or credit Ccard payable in person at Plymouth Register Office.

Occasionally further information is needed. If this is necessary you will be contacted direct by someone from Marriages Section at the General Register Office.

What to do if you stop using the building

If the congregation stops using the building there is a legal obligation to let the Registrar General know.

You will need to get a Form 77 from the superintendent registrar, see contact details opposite. This form can be signed by any person who can represent the congregation. The completed form should be returned to the register office.

What to do if the building is demolished and re-built on the same foundations

If the new building is finished within a year of the demolition, and will be used by the same congregation, the certification (and registration) will not be affected.

If the re-building will take longer than twelve months you should follow the instructions below.

If marriage registers and certificates have been issued to the building, please ask your local superintendent registrar to take custody of them until the new building is ready.

What to do if the building is demolished and re-built, but the same foundations are not used or you stop using the building, and start using a different one

A Form 77 must be completed for the original building. You will need to get a Form 77 from the superintendent registrar, see contact details opposite.

You will then need to apply for the new building to be certified as a place of worship (and registered for the solemnisation of marriages), and follow the instructions above. All these forms must be handed to the superintendent registrar at the same time.

What to do if there have been structural alterations to the building

You should send a floor plan of the whole building to Marriages Section, at the General Register Office, see contact details opposite.

The plan must clearly indicate the new layout of the building. You should also say what the various areas are now used for.

What to do if you want to change any of the recorded details of the building

You should put in writing what the change is and why you want it made. The letter must be signed by two trustees of the building and sent to Marriages Section at the General Register Office, see contact details opposite.

What to do if you need a further copy of the worship certificate

You should make your request by telephone or in writing to the General Register Office, see contact details opposite.

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