Q.  I’m getting married soon. I thought if you got married in a church you didn’t need to contact a civil registrar but apparently this isn’t the case. What are the rules?

18.04.10

Since 2007 the registration procedure for marriage is the same whether you are marrying in a registry office or by religious ceremony. If you wish to get married in Ireland you must give three months notification in person to a Registrar of Marriages. The Registrar does not have to be the Registrar for the district where you live or where you intend getting married.

You need to make an appointment with the Registrar to give the notification and you have to pay a notification fee of €150. The notification must be given at least three months before your wedding date. If there are no impediments to your marriage, (you have to sign a form stating this), the Registrar issues you with a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) giving you permission to marry. You should give the MRF to the person who will be solemnising the marriage before the marriage ceremony. Following your marriage ceremony, the completed MRF should be given to a registrar, within one month of the marriage ceremony, for the marriage to be registered.

The person solemnising the marriage must be on the Register of Solemnisers. This lists both marriage registrars and the members of the various religious bodies who have been nominated by the bodies as solemnisers. You can inspect this at your local registration office or on the General Register Office website ( www.groireland.ie ). If you plan to get married in a religious ceremony you should contact the church in advance to plan the ceremony. If you plan to get married by civil ceremony and a different Registrar will be solemnising the marriage, you must also contact the Registrar's Office for the district where you intend getting married. For Inishowen, contact the Registrar at Ardaravan Sq, Buncrana, Tel: 074 9362196.

Citizens Information: Buncrana 074 9363496; Carndonagh 074 9373741

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