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Marriage And Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022

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Explanatory Notes

Explanatory Notes

Text created by the government department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Public Acts except Appropriation, Consolidated Fund, Finance and Consolidation Acts.
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The purpose of the Act is to address the practice of child marriage in England and Wales. The Act raises the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 in England and Wales. This brings an end to provisions allowing for 16-17-year olds to marry or enter a civil partnership with parental or judicial consent.
The anticipated effect of this change on the common law means that any marriages which take place overseas, or in Scotland or Northern Ireland, involving under 18s where one of the parties is domiciled in England and Wales, will not be legally recognised in England and Wales. This change to recognition also applies to civil partnerships. This does not affect the validity of any marriages or civil partnerships entered before the Act comes into force.
The Act also makes it illegal for a person to arrange the marriage of a person under the age of 18 in England and Wales in those circumstances where that is not already illegal.