Getting married

Getting married is one of the most significant events in someone's life. However, there are rules and procedures you must follow in order to marry in Ireland. There are also rules and procedures if you are ordinarily resident in Ireland and choose to marry abroad.

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

Couples of the same sex or opposite sex can marry in Ireland. The minimum age for getting married in Ireland is 18 years of age. If you are ordinarily resident in Ireland and you wish to get married abroad, you must be aged at least 18. In addition, you must have the capacity to marry. That is, you must freely consent to the marriage and have the capacity to understand what marriage means. Read more about the legal requirements for marriage in Ireland.

If you are getting married in Ireland (whether you are an Irish citizen or a foreign national), you must notify the registrar in the Civil Registration Office of your intention to marry at least 3 months before your wedding day. You should book your appointment to give notice as far in advance as possible as appointments fill up quickly.

Both of you must attend the marriage notification appointment.

When you meet the registrar, you will sign a declaration stating that you do not know of any legal reason why the marriage cannot happen. If everything is in order, the registrar gives you a marriage registration form (MRF). The MRF gives you authorisation or permission to get married. You give it to the person who will be solemnising (the person who is authorised to perform) your marriage.

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

The requirement to give 3-months' notice does not apply to civil partners whose civil partnership was registered in Ireland. If civil partners choose to marry, their civil partnership is automatically dissolved. Contact your local Civil Registration Office to check what documentation you need to provide.

Postponing your wedding

If you have already started your 3-month notice period but have had to postpone your wedding, your MRF is valid for 6 months starting from your original wedding date.

If your rescheduled wedding date is within this 6-month period, your MRF can be amended. To do this, you should contact the local civil registration service where you originally served notice of your intention to marry.

If your rescheduled wedding date is after this 6-month period, you will need to contact the office where you originally served notice and give them your new date of marriage. You must do this at least 3 months before your new marriage date. You will need to meet with the Registrar again to get a new MRF. There is no charge for this.

There are different legal ways of getting married in Ireland. These include civil marriage ceremonies and religious and secular marriage ceremonies. The requirements of different faiths and secular bodies may differ, so check in advance with the relevant member of the clergy or body for 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 are issued with a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) by the registrar, following notification, which gives you authorisation to get married. You give it to the person who will be solemnising (performing) your marriage. Following the marriage ceremony, the completed MRF should be given to a registrar within one month of the marriage ceremony, for the marriage to be registered. Some civil registration services have a walk-in service. You need to phone and book an appointment for others. You cannot get your marriage certificate until the marriage is registered.

If you are an Irish citizen and are planning to marry abroad, the legal validity of your marriage is governed, in part, by the laws of the country in which you marry. The legal formalities abroad can be very different to those in Ireland. You can read information for Irish citizens planning to marry abroad.

Getting married affects many areas of your life in Ireland. These range from life insurance and pensions, to inheritance, presumption of paternity and even taxation. Find out how marriage affects your legal status.

You can read more about marriage in the following pages:

• Legal requirements for marriage
• Different types of marriage ceremony in Ireland
• Notification requirements for marriage
• Registration of marriage
• Religious and secular marriage ceremonies
• Civil marriage ceremonies
• Getting married abroad
• Pre-nuptial agreements
• Broken engagements

You can also visit the HSE's website for further information on how to get married in Ireland.