Celebrants seeking authorisation, should contact us for in the first instance for guidance on the documentation they will be required to submit. You must be part of a religious or belief body that is also authorised to conduct marriages or civil partnerships in Scotland, and you’ll need to provide evidence that you meet the criteria for authorisation.
You should include the following details in your enquiry:
- celebrant’s full name
- name of the religious or belief body they’ll be solemnising a marriage or registering a civil partnership on behalf of
- date and place of the intended marriage or civil partnership
Private and independent celebrants
A ‘private’ or 'independent' celebrant is someone that is not permitted to conduct a marriage or civil partnership under Scots law.
An unauthorised celebrant may market themselves as an independent or private civil celebrant. They may provide non-legal ceremonies in Scotland such as funerals, baby naming, vow renewals or wedding and civil partnership blessings but they cannot conduct a legal marriage or civil partnership in Scotland.
Marriage or civil partnership 'blessings'
Marriage or civil partnership ‘blessings’ are not legally binding in Scotland and will not be registered with NRS.
Some unauthorised celebrants may wrongly claim they can perform a blessing and a registrar can complete the ‘legal duties’ to make the marriage or civil partnership legal.
A registrar cannot conduct parts of a marriage or civil partnership for:
- any other body
- an unauthorised celebrant
If you choose to use a registrar, they will legally conduct the ceremony and marry or civilly partner the couple.
What the certificate will show
The marriage or civil partnership certificate will show that the ceremony was conducted:
- by the registrar
- at the registrar’s location
A ‘blessing ceremony’ may occur before or after the ceremony conducted by the registrar, but it’s:
- not legally recognised
- not connected to the ceremony conducted by the registrar
Contact the registration office in the district where you wish your ceremony to take place if you have any questions about:
- an unauthorised celebrant
- a legally recognised ceremony in Scotland
Find a registrar
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