How to legally get married in Ireland

Getting legally married in Ireland is straightforward, but it has one hard deadline that catches couples out: you must give the state at least three months' notice. Everything else follows from that appointment.

The steps, in order

1. 1Book a marriage notification appointment with the HSE Civil Registration Service, at least three months before the wedding.
2. 2Attend together with your documents and the €200 fee.
3. 3Receive your Marriage Registration Form (MRF), which works as Ireland's marriage licence.
4. 4Marry in front of a registered solemniser and two witnesses aged 18 or over.
5. 5Make sure the marriage is registered, then order your certificates.

The three-month notice

You must give the HSE Civil Registration Service at least three months' notice of your intention to marry. Both of you must attend the appointment in person. You can book by phone with your local civil registration service, and online booking is available in most areas.

Do not leave it until close to the three-month mark. Appointments can book out well ahead, so book as soon as you have a date, before the dress, before the flowers.

If you are civil partners whose partnership was registered in Ireland and you now want to marry each other, the three-month notice does not apply and the fee is reduced to €50. You still meet the registrar in person, at least five days before the ceremony.

What to bring to the notification appointment

• Photo ID that is in date, such as a passport, original and a colour photocopy of the photo page
• Your birth certificates, original and a photocopy
• Proof of address dated within the last three months, original and a photocopy
• Both PPS numbers
• Details of the ceremony: the type, the venue, the solemniser, and the names and dates of birth of your two witnesses
• The completed data capture form, which you can download from the HSE beforehand
• If either of you was married before, the original divorce decree, or the death certificate and previous marriage certificate if widowed
• Translations of any document not in English or Irish

At the appointment you both sign a declaration that you know of no legal reason the marriage cannot go ahead. Check the current list with your local service before you go, as requirements can vary with your circumstances.

The Marriage Registration Form: Ireland's marriage licence

If everything is in order, the registrar gives you a Marriage Registration Form. Without it, the ceremony cannot legally go ahead. It is valid for six months from your intended wedding date, and you give it to your solemniser before the ceremony.

If you postpone within those six months, the form can be amended. Beyond that you need a new form, which means repeating the notification process.

Who can legally marry you

Only a registered solemniser can. That includes:

• State registrars, at a registry office or an approved venue
• Catholic priests, Church of Ireland ministers and solemnisers of other faiths on the register
• Registered humanist and other secular solemnisers

A celebrant who is not a registered solemniser can run a beautiful, fully personalised ceremony, but you are not legally married by it. Couples in this position marry at a registry office separately, usually a few days before.

Ask any celebrant directly: "Are you on the register of solemnisers?" The register is public. If the answer is no, you are booking a ceremony, not a marriage.

Civil ceremonies: where and when

A civil ceremony is performed by a state registrar, in a registry office or in a venue the registrar has approved. An approved venue must be open to the public. It can be a building, or a courtyard, garden or field open to the public that sits next to, and is usually shared with, such a building. So an outdoor civil ceremony is possible in the grounds of an approved venue, but not on a beach or in a field with no building attached.

Civil ceremonies happen Monday to Friday only, within the registrar's working hours, never at weekends or on bank holidays. They cannot include any religious content. There is an extra fee for a venue other than a registry office, and registrars usually only perform ceremonies in the county where they are based, so ask your local service early.

Religious and secular ceremonies

Religious and registered secular solemnisers, including humanists, are not limited to weekdays or to registrar-approved venues, which is why couples who want a Saturday or a less conventional setting often choose them. The law still requires the place of the ceremony to be open to the public, so your solemniser will advise whether a particular spot is suitable. More detail is in our guide to getting married outdoors in Ireland.

Who is allowed to marry

You must both be 18 or over on the day, and both free to marry, which means any previous marriage or civil partnership has ended by divorce, dissolution or death. You cannot marry for an immigration advantage alone.

On the day

You need:

• The Marriage Registration Form, already given to your solemniser
• Two witnesses aged 18 or over
• Both of you, obviously

After the wedding

For a civil ceremony, the registrar registers the marriage for you. For a religious or secular ceremony, the signed MRF must go back to a registrar at a Civil Registration Service within one month so the marriage can be registered. Registration is free.

Then order your marriage certificates. Each costs €20, plus postage, and you can order online, by phone or at most civil registration services. Get a few: banks, passport offices and employers often want an original.

What it costs

The legal side is the cheap part of a wedding: the €200 notification fee, an extra fee if a registrar comes to a venue rather than you going to a registry office, and €20 for each certificate. For everything else, see how much a wedding costs in Ireland.

If one of you is not an Irish or EU citizen

Extra documents apply, such as evidence of immigration status, and you will be asked to attend an interview with the registrar. Contact the Civil Registration Service early; six months out is not too soon.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. It follows the HSE Civil Registration Service and Citizens Information, checked October 2026. Confirm details with your local Civil Registration Service.