Registration Service terms and conditions

Force Majeure

• A 'Force Majeure' means war, civil war, armed conflict, terrorist attack, governmental action, fire, flood, severe weather conditions, pandemic or epidemic or any other act or matter which notwithstanding the reasonable diligence and foresight of Surrey County Council and its partner providers, is beyond their reasonable control.
• In the event of a 'Force Majeure', the Surrey Registration Service will endeavour to perform your ceremony on an agreed alternative date.
• We strongly recommend that you take out ceremony insurance to cover losses or expenses incurred in the case of events outside our control.

Working days

Any reference to working days does not include Saturday, Sunday, Bank or Public holidays.

Complaints

Any complaint or claim must be made in writing to the Surrey Registration Service within 21 working days of the ceremony.

Ceremony content

• During your ceremony only Surrey Registration Service scripts will be used and cannot be interchanged, apart from personal vows/promises which be seemly and dignified and does not contain any religious content and be approved in advance.
• All ceremonies must be of a dignified nature, to reflect the solemnity of the occasion.
• Religious blessings cannot be included in the ceremony and any further ceremony or blessing must be separate, after the registrars have left the building.

Code of conduct

• Smoking (including vaping) is not permitted at any point during the ceremony.
• The consumption of food or alcohol is not permitted in the ceremony room or outside area, for one hour prior to or during the ceremony.
• Anyone obviously under the influence of alcohol or drugs or who is abusive will be asked to leave the ceremony.

Staff

The Surrey Registration Service will allocate staff to attend your ceremony and reserves the right to substitute other experienced and qualified staff in case of sickness or other unforeseen circumstances on the day

Room capacity

For fire, health and safety, the number of guests (including children and babies) must not exceed the capacity of the room, which is stipulated in the licence of the venue. Additional guests will be excluded from the ceremony.

Timing

• Both parties will be available to meet with the Registrars at the ceremony venue no later than 15 minutes before the ceremony start time. In the event of late arrival and if your ceremony is likely to start later than 10 minutes after the allocated start time, your ceremony will be subject to rescheduling to a different time in order to accommodate our commitments with other ceremonies.
• A reduction to content of your ceremony may be necessary, for example, omissions of readings.
• Each ceremony should not exceed 30 minutes duration as this will affect the time-tabling of other ceremonies.

Animals

The decision on whether animals are permitted is at the discretion of the venue.

Candles

Please be aware that candles and/or naked flames are not permitted at any of the register office venues.

Liability

The Surrey Registration Service will not accept liability for:

• The failure of any music system provided by the venue, you or a third party
• The failure of any CD provided by the venue, you or a third party
• Any delay or loss caused by your late or non-arrival
• Any loss caused by a request from you or your representatives to delay the ceremony
• Any loss or compensation where a ceremony is stopped from proceeding because (a) it would be void if it went ahead, (b) an offence under the Marriage or Civil Partnership Acts would be committed, and (c) it would be against the public interest
• Any decision to delay the ceremony is at the discretion of the Surrey Registration Service.

Your appointment booking is accepted subject to terms and conditions set out here and on the basis that you agree to the terms and conditions in their entirety.

• All customers who have appointments with Surrey Registration Service must arrive at the agreed time of their appointment.
• Customers who arrive late for their appointments will not be seen and are subject to the rescheduling and rebooking policy below.
• A non-refundable booking fee for your appointment is payable at the time of booking.
• If you attend the appointment, the fees paid in advance will be used towards payment for the service.
• Any change made to an appointment, with less than 48 hours' notice will require a new appointment to be made and the full appointment fees charged.
• If you do not attend with the correct documents or without an interpreter when one is needed, the fee will not be refunded and you will have to book another appointment and pay the fee again.
• Failure to arrive on time may result in your appointment being rescheduled. You will have to book another appointment and pay the fee again.
• It is your responsibility to provide a third party interpreter if required.
• All appointments may be rescheduled (subject to availability) provided you give 48 hours or more notice. Any further changes will result in the full fee being charged.
• Only births and deaths which occur in Surrey can be registered at Surrey register offices.
• For births and deaths that have occurred outside of Surrey, where customers wish to use a Surrey register office, will be giving a declaration and will have to contact the register office at 0300 200 1002 before booking an appointment.
• It is the customer's responsibility to provide accurate information during the registration appointment. The respondent (customer) will be required to check the entry before signing, any errors made may be subject to a correction/consideration fee.
• Surrey County Council is committed to ensuring your information is protected. Your information will only be used to assist us with your registration appointment. We will not share this information with anyone else. Surrey Registration and Nationality Service privacy notice

Your appointment booking is accepted subject to the terms and conditions set out here and on the basis that you agree to the terms and conditions in their entirety.

• All customers who have appointments with Surrey Registration Service must arrive at the agreed time of their appointment.
• A non-refundable booking fee for your appointment, is payable at the time of booking.
• If you attend the appointment, the fees paid in advance will be used towards payment for the service.
• Any change made to an appointment, with less than 48 hours' notice will require a new appointment to be made and the full appointment fees charged.
• If you do not attend with the correct documents or without an interpreter when one is needed, the fee will not be refunded and you will have to book another appointment and pay the fee again.
• Customers who arrive late for their appointments will not be seen and are subject to the rescheduling and rebooking policy.
• Customers agree to provide all original documents required (as per the guidance on the SCC website and booking system) at the time of their appointment. Customers arriving without the correct documents will not be seen and are subject to the rescheduling and rebooking policy.
• Photocopies/scanned copies, electronic copies and documents not printed by the issuer of the document will not be accepted. If using a bank statement printed within the bank branch, it must be stamped by the branch.
• Customers with divorces obtained outside England and Wales agree to provide original documentation along with the appropriate third party translation.
• Surrey Registration Service will not be held accountable for processing times of any external bodies including UK Visa and Immigration and the General Register Office. You must ensure that all documents that are required for the notice appointment are in your possession and available to the Registration Service at the time of the appointment.
• Use of the EU Settlement Checking Service does not guarantee the approval of an application by the Home Office. Once an application has been received by the Home Office we are unable to offer any updates on its status.

Your ceremony booking is accepted subject to the terms and conditions set out here and on the basis that you agree to the terms and conditions in their entirety.

A ceremony for the purpose of the booking policy is defined as a:

• Marriage ceremony
• Civil partnership ceremony
• Civil partnership without ceremony
• Renewal of Vows
• Naming ceremony

Ceremony bookings and fees

Your booking is accepted on the condition that:

• No legal impediment to the marriage or civil partnership exists and legal preliminaries are completed within statutory time limits.
• Any foreign divorce/dissolution papers are accepted by the Registrar General where applicable.
• The ceremony fees are payable in full at the time of booking. The ceremony fee includes a non-refundable administration fee of £100.
• Fees are subject to change on the 1 April each year. You will be required to pay the fee that is applicable for the date of your ceremony.

Online bookings

Ceremony reservations submitted via Surrey County Council's website will undergo verification by a registrar before receiving confirmation. Surrey Registration Service retains the authority to invalidate and potentially cancel any reservations that do not meet the necessary criteria.

Cooling off period

You are entitled to a 14 day cooling off period whereby you must consider the terms and your position. During this period, you are entitled to cancel the booking without loss of prepayments (including the booking fee). You are automatically entitled to the cooling off period if the booking was made online, over the phone or by mail.

Amendment fee

An amendment fee of £63 is payable whenever details of a booking are changed and includes changing the time, date, venue or type of a ceremony. Where applicable, this may require an updated or additional ceremony fee to be paid. The amendment fee is non-refundable and not included within the cancellation policy. This fee becomes applicable after the 14 day cooling off period expires.

Postponement

You may postpone your ceremony where a new date/time is supplied and an amendment fee will be applied. Failure to supply a new date by the original ceremony date will result in your ceremony being cancelled with loss of fees as per our cancellation policy.

Cancellation of bookings by the Surrey Registration Service

Your ceremony may be cancelled by the Surrey Registration Service if:

1. The total fees have not been paid
2. Legal preliminaries have not or cannot be completed.
3. A new date has not been received for a postponed ceremony prior to the original ceremony date.

All ceremony fees will be retained by Surrey Registration Service

Cancellation of bookings by the customer

Ceremonies must be cancelled in writing by email or letter detailing your booking reference, date, time and venue and your full names

• Email: registration.ceremonies@surreycc.gov.uk.
• Post: Surrey Ceremonies Office, Leatherhead Register Office, The Mansion, 70 Church Street, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8DP.

Failure to attend your ceremony will be considered a cancellation without sufficient notice, and as such no fees will be refunded

If you cancel after 14 days of booking we will reimburse payments received from you as follows:

• More than twelve weeks before the ceremony date you will receive a full refund of the balance fee (excluding £100 non-refundable administration fees).
• Between four and twelve weeks before the ceremony date you will receive 50% refund of the balance fee (excluding £100 non-refundable administration fees).
• Less than four weeks before the ceremony date (or failure to cancel), there will be no refund.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and no later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel this contract.

Statutory Room Bookings

• Ceremony fees are payable in full at the time of booking
• An amendment fee of £63 is payable whenever details of a booking are changed and includes changing the time and date of a ceremony.
• Failure to attend your ceremony will be considered a cancellation and as such no fee will be refunded.
• All ceremonies must take place in a building or approved outdoor area to which a licence has been granted for the solemnisation of marriages and civil partnerships. They must be separate from any other activity on the premises at the time of the ceremony.

Ceremonies in approved outdoor areas

• All outdoor ceremonies must be approved by Surrey Registration Service prior to the ceremony, this includes new linked outdoor areas. All outdoor areas must be approved by the licensing team and be named on the premises licence which again must be named. This is to ensure the outdoor location fulfils the legal requirement to be seemly and dignified and that all health and safety requirements can be met.
• All couples must submit an outside agreement form with their ceremony checklist, which must be approved by the ceremonies team prior to the ceremony. Failure to submit the form may result in authority for the ceremony to be held outside being denied.
• Ceremonies can only take place in approved outdoor areas during British summer time (last Sunday in March to last Saturday in October).
• The decision regarding the suitability of the weather for an outside ceremony will be made no later than one hour prior to the ceremony start time by the responsible person on duty at the venue.
• The main reasons a ceremony will not take place outdoors will be due to inclement weather or health and safety concerns. Inclement weather can include wet, cold, heat and other extreme conditions. Health and safety considerations include but are not limited to, the safety of electrical equipment, the conditions underfoot and the safety of the registration documents.
• The Surrey Registration Service staff may move the ceremony indoors to an alternative room if there is a risk to any registration document. These schedules are legal documents and must be safeguarded from wet and windy weather at all times. Registrars have a legal duty to ensure compliance with this condition.
• The suitability of weather for an outdoor ceremony will be determined by the responsible person at the venue no later than one hour before the ceremony starts. While efforts will be made to hold the ceremony outside as planned, health and safety considerations take precedence. If it's deemed unsafe, the ceremony will be moved to the alternative room. Health and safety factors include electrical equipment safety, ground conditions, and document protection.
• Should the weather be unsuitable on the day, the venue must have an alternative licensed room or approved dry area set up accordingly, to avoid a delay to the start of the ceremony.
• The venue must maintain an alternative licensed room with chairs set up for an indoor ceremony in case of unsuitable weather. Chairs should be in place 30 minutes before the ceremony start time. If the room isn't prepared, the ceremony will still proceed in that room, and the Surrey Registration Service cannot be held responsible for venue non-compliance.
• The maximum number of guests allowed in the alternative ceremony room must not exceed the room's licensed capacity. Some guests may not witness the ceremony due to this limitation.
• If there is a risk to either the registration staff or the legal documents, the Surrey Registration Service reserve the right to override the venue's decision to hold the ceremony outside.
• Schedules are legal documents and must always be protected from the elements, and registrars have a statutory duty to ensure that this requirement is complied with.
• Approval of the venue is granted only in connection with the provision of ceremonies. The Surrey Registration Service cannot accept liability for the failure or neglect on behalf of the venue, of any agreement between you and the venue and for the use or provision of any services and/or facilities.

Other ceremony bookings (naming, renewal of vows and civil partnership conversion)

Please note, the ceremony does not give any legal status or rights.

Your ceremony booking is accepted on the condition that:

• - Proof of marriage or civil partnership (for civil partnership conversions) is provided.
• - A ceremony fee is paid.

Surrey County Council has agreed a minimum standard for the granting of a licence to those venues seeking to hold civil marriage or civil partnership ceremonies. It reserves the right to refuse a licence on these terms. Registration staff reserve the right to refuse to perform a ceremony, if they are not satisfied that the standards comply with those set out in the original granting of the licence. There are some additional conditions that apply if you wish to licence a garden structure.

Terms and conditions for granting a licence

• A non-refundable fee is payable on application for a licence, which will cover the total cost of the process
• The licence will be valid for a period of three years.
• Any person wishing to apply for a licence must do so by completing an application form and submitting a plan of the building, which indicates the room(s) to be licensed. A seating plan for each room must be submitted, stating the total number of seated guests, in theatre style, permitted in line with the risk and fire assessments for the building.
• The applicant must make the premises available for inspection at any time after the application has been made.
• During the inspection the applicant must be able to show that a suitable notice will be provided, which states that the premises have been approved for the solemnization of marriages in pursuance of section 26(1)(bb) of the Marriage Act 1949, or the registration of civil partnerships in pursuance, in section 6(3A)(a) of the Civil Partnership Act 2004, identifying and giving directions to the room in which the ceremony is to take place. This notice must be displayed at each public entrance to the premises for one hour prior to the ceremony and throughout the ceremony.
• Before any a licence can be granted, the premises to be licensed will be advertised on the Surrey County Council website to allow for any objections. Objections must be received in writing by the local authority within 21 days from the date the advertisement appears. Any objections will be considered as soon as practicable after receipt.
• The holder of the approval must ensure that there is at all times an individual with responsibility for ensuring compliance with these conditions.
• In order to meet any claim made by a member of the public, the venue must hold public liability insurance of £5m for the duration of three year licence period.
• The building must be of a permanent non-demountable form and secular in nature. The secular nature of civil marriages, or the registration of civil partnerships, precludes the use of any building with a recent or continuing religious connection. This effectively rules out any building, or room, whose description, purpose, or appearance, is still considered to be linked to religion. A chapel of a stately home and a building containing furniture, or fittings, associated with a place of religious worship, or which has stained glass windows depicting a religious image are examples of a continuing religious connection.
• Premises in which a religious group meets occasionally may be suitable if the primary use of the premises is secular.
• If a gazebo or garden structure is to be used, the ceremony must take place within the structure. The couple being married or joined in partnership, witnesses and the registrars must all be within the structure, although guests may be seated outside in the garden.
• In the case of inclement weather conditions, the ceremony will take place in a designated room within the venue. The decision to move inside will be taken by the venue after consultation with the registrars. The decision of the venue and registration staff is final.
• It is the responsibility of the venue to make it clear to the couple at the time of booking, that the ceremony must take place within the structure and to obtain their agreement, to moving the ceremony inside the main building if it is deemed necessary on the day. (We would suggest that the couple sign up to this agreement) – add in section from previous re: outside agreement?
• The venue will be the responsible for ensuring that the room to be used is readily available if the decision has been made to move the ceremony inside.
• The building must be available for civil marriages or the registration of civil partnerships, on a regular basis and cannot be licensed for a specific occasion. A private house is unlikely to be an appropriate venue for civil marriages or civil partnership ceremonies, as it would not be known to the public as a venue for such ceremonies, or regularly available for their use.
• The primary use of a building would also render it unsuitable if that use could demean civil marriages or the registration of civil partnerships, or bring it into disrepute.
• The building should not be a derelict or semi-derelict structure.
• A licence will be revoked if a building has only been used for civil marriages or the registration of civil partnerships, on three or less occasions in the previous year, or will not be granted if it can be clearly seen that the building will not provide for regular use of such ceremonies.
• For the purposes of defining a dignified and seemly location for the solemnization of civil marriages or the registration of civil partnerships, the following criteria will apply.
• The decor and furnishing of the designated room(s) must be of a standard appropriate to the occasion.
• The location of the room(s) for civil marriages or civil partnerships will be prominently displayed in the building and access is always made available to any member of the public who may wish to attend a ceremony. If any member of the public wishes to object to the ceremony on legal grounds, they must have the right to unfettered access to witness the ceremony and make objections prior to, or during, the ceremony.
• The designated room is separate from any other activity taking place in the building, whether accompanying the ceremony, or not. The sale or consumption of alcohol, soft drinks, beverages, or food is not permitted in the room where the ceremony is due to take place, for one hour prior to, or throughout the ceremony.
• Civil marriages and registration of civil partnership ceremonies on approved premises may be followed by a celebration, commemoration, or blessing of the couples' choice, providing that it is not a religious ceremony and is separate from the civil ceremony. However, if a religious blessing were to regularly follow such ceremonies on particular premises, or be considered part of the service being offered on the premises, there may well be a religious connection, which would breach the requirements and lead to the local authority having to consider revoking the approval.
• The applicant must hold a relevant fire risk assessment and comply with the health and safety regulations relevant to large numbers of people attending a building at one time. The applicant must also have planning permission to hold a public meeting, which will be accepted as permission to hold civil marriage or civil partnership ceremonies. There is no planning use class, which specifically allows ceremonies, so the applicant will have to consult with the local planning authority and, if regular use as a venue for such ceremonies constitutes development, obtain planning permission. Approval of these regulations must be produced before any licence can be approved.
• A suitable adjacent private room must be made available for the superintendent and registrar at least 30 minutes before the ceremony, which allows for the registrar to interview the couple and carry out any other registration arrangements as necessary.
• Surrey County Council provides facilities for those with a disability at their register offices. Similar facilities should be provided at other venues and a licence will not be granted if the applicant is unable to assure the licensee of suitable arrangements for this purpose.
• The provision of other facilities at the ceremony must be agreed by the superintendent registrar or registrar attending the ceremony. Any music used as part of the ceremony must be secular in nature and must be in accordance with any instructions issued by the superintendent or registrar.
• The superintendent or registrar can refuse to hold a civil marriage or civil partnership ceremony if they are not satisfied that the premises are suitable for the holding of such a service under the terms and conditions of the licence. For this reason the applicant must allow access by the superintendent/registrar to inspect the building at any time during the day of the ceremony if he/she so wishes. The applicant must comply with any reasonable instructions given by the superintendent/registrar, or any other officer representing the registration service.
• When parking is limited, the venue must provide two free parking spaces near the main entrance for registration staff, ensuring quick access and departure for staff attending multiple ceremonies

Exceptions

Registration staff will not be available to perform ceremonies on Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Decision not to grant a licence

• If a licence is not to be granted the applicant will be notified in writing and the reasons for reaching the decision will be given.
• If the applicant wishes to appeal against a decision not to licence a premise, they must do so in writing to the Proper Officer within two weeks of the Registration Service's decision not to grant the licence. A further fee will be charged for any appeal made by the applicant.

Revocation of a licence

• The Registration Service can revoke a licence at any time if the standard of the building is not acceptable, or there has been a change of use, both of which the Registration Service might consider to be unsuitable for the solemnization of civil marriages and/or the registration of civil partnerships. The Registration Service will be obliged to revoke a licence, upon instructions from the Registrar General, because there are breaches of the law relating to such ceremonies in, or on the approved premises. Any changes to the building, or designated room/s, therefore, must be notified in writing immediately if it will affect the terms and conditions of the licence.
• Complaints against either the Registration Service, or events occurring on the premises during civil wedding or civil partnership ceremonies, must be immediately directed to the Proper Officer.

Variations

• The County Council reserves the right to vary these terms and conditions at any time without prior notification and will endeavour to inform applicants in writing of any changes which may affect the holding of the licence.

Timing of ceremonies

• We offer set times to conduct a civil ceremony. We would ask the venue to ensure that the couples are advised to contact us regarding ceremony times so that we can confirm that we have availability on the day and time they have requested.