Marriage in England and Wales

rdf:langString Marriage in England and Wales

rdf:langString Marriage is available in England and Wales to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples and is legally recognised in the forms of both civil and religious marriage. Marriage laws have historically evolved separately from marriage laws in other jurisdictions in the United Kingdom. There is a distinction between religious marriages, conducted by an authorised religious celebrant and civil marriages conducted by a state registrar. The legal minimum age to enter into a marriage in England and Wales is eighteen years. Certain relatives are not allowed to marry. For foreign nationals, there are also residency conditions that have to be met before people can be married. Same-sex marriage was introduced under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in March 2014. Matters regarding marriage such as divorce are resolved with by the English family law through the Family Justice System of England and Wales. The law regarding weddings in England and Wales has been under review by the Law Commission. In July 2022, the Commission released its final report finding these laws confusing and outdated, and calling for a complete revision. The Commission noted, "the recommendations represent a comprehensive overhaul to current weddings law, the key parts of which date back to 1836 or even earlier."