The Registration of Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Registration Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
Source: legislation.gov.uk (2025-05-26)

These Regulations amend the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2015 and the Civil Partnership (Registration Provisions) Regulations 2005, in consequence of amendments made by the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 to the Marriage Act 1949 and the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

Statutory Instruments

2025 No. 569

REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES, ETC., ENGLAND AND WALES

The Registration of Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Registration Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Made

8th May 2025

Coming into force

27th May 2025

The Registrar General for England and Wales(1 (\"#f00001\")) makes these Regulations with the approval of the Secretary of State(2 (\"#f00002\")) in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 27A (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76/section/27A\")(3) (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76/section/27A\") and 74 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76/section/74\")(1) (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76/section/74\")(b) (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76/section/74\") of the Marriage Act 1949 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76/contents\")(3 (\"#f00003\")) and sections 19 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/33/section/19\")(5) (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/33/section/19\") and 36 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/33/section/36\")(3) (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/33/section/36\") of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/33\")(4 (\"#f00004\")), as extended by section 26 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1993/38/section/26\")(3) (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1993/38/section/26\") of the Welsh Language Act 1993 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1993/38\")(5 (\"#f00005\")).

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Registration of Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Registration Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.

(2) These Regulations come into force on 27th May 2025.

(3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales.

Amendment to the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2015 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/207\")

2. In Schedule 1 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/207/schedule/1\") to the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2015 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/207\")(6 (\"#f00006\")), for—

(a)Form 8, substitute Form 1 in the Schedule (\"#schedule\") to these Regulations;

(b)Form 8(w), substitute Form 2 in the Schedule (\"#schedule\") to these Regulations.

Amendment to the Civil Partnership (Registration Provisions) Regulations 2005 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/3176\")

3. In Schedule 2 to the Civil Partnership (Registration Provisions) Regulations 2005(7 (\"#f00007\")), for—

(a)Form 7, substitute Form 3 in the Schedule (\"#schedule\") to these Regulations;

(b)Form 7(w), substitute Form 4 in the Schedule (\"#schedule\") to these Regulations.

Given under my hand on 8th May 2025

Tom Greig

Registrar General for England and Wales

I approve,

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

Seema Malhotra

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Home Office

8th May 2025

SchedulePrescribed forms

Form 1 (regulation 2(a))

Form 2 (regulation 2(b))

Form 3 (regulation 3(a))

Form 4 (regulation 3(b))

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2015 and the Civil Partnership (Registration Provisions) Regulations 2005, in consequence of amendments made by the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 to the Marriage Act 1949 and the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

Section 75(3)(a) of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 inserts new paragraph (c) into section 27A(3) of the Marriage Act 1949, adding a requirement for the statement of the responsible authority, which must accompany a detained person’s notice of marriage, to state whether the detained person is serving a whole life sentence and if so, whether they are subject to a whole life order.

Section 76(7) of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 inserts new paragraph (c) into section 19(4) of the Civil Partnership Act 2004, adding the same requirement to the supporting statement which must accompany a detained person’s notice of proposed civil partnership.

Regulation 2 replaces Forms 8 and 8(w), prescribed by the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2015, with new forms 1 and 2 in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Regulation 3 replaces Forms 7 and 7(w), prescribed by the Civil Partnership (Registration Provisions) Regulations 2005, with new forms 3 and 4 in the Schedule to these Regulations.

The Welsh language forms (Forms 2 and 4 in the Schedule to these Regulations) are prescribed under the power in section 26(3) of the Welsh Language Act 1993 to prescribe separate forms of a document or words, in Welsh and English, and forms partly in Welsh and partly in English, for use in the circumstances prescribed by the enabling legislation.

These Regulations are made by the Registrar General with the approval of the Secretary of State in line with usual practice, rather than under the general power to make transitional provision in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary sector or community bodies is foreseen.

(1)

The Registrar General may make Regulations prescribing anything which by the Marriage Act 1949 is required to be prescribed. (Prescribed is defined in section 78 of the Act).

(2)

The Registrar General with the approval of the Secretary of State may make Regulations prescribing anything which by the Marriage Act 1949 is required to be prescribed, and may make Regulations under the provisions of Part 2, Chapter 1 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (with some exceptions, not relevant here). The function of approving Regulations was transferred to the Secretary of State for the Home Department by articles 3(1) and 5(1) and paragraphs 5(e) and 14(d) of Schedule 1 to the Transfer of Functions (Registration) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/678 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2008/678\")).

(3)

1949 c. 76 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1949/76\"). Section 27A was inserted by paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to the Marriage Act 1983 (c. 32) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1983/32\") and amended by paragraph 9 of Schedule 14 to the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c. 33) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1999/33\") and paragraph 5 of Schedule 7 to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (c. 30) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2013/30\"). It is also amended by section 75(3)(a) of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (c. 21) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2024/21\"), not yet in force. Section 74 was amended by paragraph 19 of Schedule 15 to the Immigration Act 2016 (c. 19) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2016/19\"), paragraph 5(1)(d) of Schedule 2 to S.I. 2008/678 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2008/678\") and article 12 of S.I. 2009/2821 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2009/2821\"). There are other amendments to sections 27A and 74 not relevant to these Regulations.

(4)

2004 c. 33 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2004/33\"). Section 19 is amended by section 76(7) of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, not yet in force. Section 36 was amended by Schedule 2, paragraph 14(d) to S.I. 2008/678. There are other amendments to sections 19 and 36 not relevant to these Regulations.

(5)

1993 c. 38 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1993/38\").

(6)

S.I. 2015/207 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/207\"). There are amendments to Schedule 1 not relevant to these Regulations.

(7)

S.I. 2005/3176 (\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/3176\"). There are amendments to Schedule 2 not relevant to these Regulations.