Marriage Act 1983

4 Issue of licence by Registrar General

(1) Where notice of an intended marriage is given to a registrar under section 3(2) above, the registrar shall—

(a) inform the Registrar General; and

(b) comply with any directions relating to the notice or the statement or particulars required by section 3(3), (4) or (5) which may be given to him by the Registrar General.

(2) Where the Registrar General—

(a) is informed under subsection (1) above of an intended marriage; and

(b) is satisfied that a licence should be granted,

he shall issue a licence in the prescribed form authorising the solemnization of the marriage unless—

(i) any lawful impediment to the issue of the licence has been shown to his satisfaction to exist; or

(ii) the issue of the licence has been forbidden under section 18 of the Marriages Act, as applied by Schedule 2 to this Act.

(3) The Registrar General shall send any licence issued by him under subsection (2) above authorising the solemnization of a marriage—

(a) subject to paragraph (b) below, to the registrar of the district in which the marriage is to be solemnized ;

(b) where the marriage is to be solemnized in accordance with the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, to the priest who is to solemnize the marriage.

(4) The Registrar General shall not issue a licence under subsection (2) above before the expiration of seven days after the day on which notice of the marriage is entered in the marriage notice book under section 14 of the Marriage Act, as applied by Schedule 2 to this Act.