Getting married or registering a civil partnership abroad: Information based on your answers
Marriage and Civil partnership in Iceland
Before you start
You must contact the District Commissioner (‘Sýslumaðurinn’) where you want to get married to find out about local marriage laws, including what documents you’ll need. Under Icelandic law District Commissioners make their own decisions about the documents needed.
The names on all documents you provide must appear exactly as they do on your passport - if not, the authorities may refuse to allow the marriage to go ahead. You may need to provide evidence if the name on your passport is different to your birth certificate (for example, a marriage certificate or a deed poll).
You should get legal advice and check the travel advice for Iceland before making any plans.
What you need to do
If you’re asked to get a certificate of no impediment (CNI)
To get a CNI, make an appointment at your local register office to give notice of your marriage. A CNI costs £35.
Contact your local register office to find out what you need to do if you live in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey.
You’ll need to take certain documents with you to your appointment.
Your notice will be publicly displayed in the register office for 28 days. You can collect your CNI after this if nobody registers an objection.
You’ll then need to get your CNI legalised.
Your CNI won’t expire if it was issued in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. CNIs issued in Scotland expire after 3 months. Check with your local register office to find out how long a CNI is valid if you live in the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey.
A CNI is generally valid for 2 months under Icelandic law but you should check this period of validity with the District Commissioner where you intend to marry.
If you are asked to get a ‘no trace letter’
If you’re in England or Wales, you can get a no trace letter from the General Register Office.
No trace letters cost £50 for each 10 year period from age 16 or when you entered the UK.
Specify how many years you need the search to cover and quote reference ‘SEARCH 123’. It can take up to 3 weeks for a no trace letter to be issued.
General Register Office
Telephone: +44 (0)300 123 1837 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm Saturday)
If you’re in Scotland, you can get a ’to whom it may concern’ letter from the National Records of Scotland.
If you’re in Northern Ireland, you can get a ‘certificate of legal capacity to marry’ or a ‘marriage index search’ from the nidirect website.
Get married
You’ll need to give your CNI or no trace letter to the District Commissioner’s office.
After you get married
Your marriage will be recognised in the UK if:
- you follow the correct process according to the law in Iceland
- it would be allowed under UK law
You won’t need to register your marriage in the UK.
If you need extra copies of your marriage certificate, you can apply for them at Registers Iceland (‘Þjóðskrá’).
If your partner isn’t a British citizen, they can apply for British citizenship once they’ve lived in the UK for 3 years.