Marriage training for the Church of England Delivered by the Kent Registration Service

Introductions Sharon Birch – Registration & Nationality Manager (Superintendent Registrar) Sarah Manston – Licensing Officer Jane Collins – Technical Officer

Aims and objectives To discuss the implementation of the Immigration Act Phase 2 To ensure all clergy are aware of the legalities relating to marriage in England and Wales. To raise awareness of the requirement to complete registers accurately and submit timely returns.

Sham Marriage In the News……..

Immigration Act 2014 Phase 2 – implementation of referral scheme (2 nd March 2015) –Change to the notice period –Referral of those in scope of the scheme to Immigration Enforcement –Change to processes for the Church of England/ Church in Wales –Photographs

Immigration Act 2014 Couples wishing to marry in the Church of England / Church in Wales where at least one of the couple are a non-EEA national will have to give notice via civil preliminaries at a Designated Register Office In Kent the Designated offices are in – –Ramsgate –Canterbury –Maidstone –Dartford –Tunbridge Wells

Legal Preliminaries (Notice of Marriage) In Kent we work on an appointment system We can make appointments Monday-Friday 9am- 4pm Notice of marriage appointments take 1 hour per couple (the couple must attend together) The cost for a notice of marriage for a non-EEA and a person marrying a non-EEA will be £47.00

Conditions to be met prior to giving notice of marriage For a couple to be able to give notice to marry in a Church of England or Church in Wales building there are certain conditions which they must meet: The church is within the registration district in which one or both parties have completed the full 7 day residence period before giving a legal notice, and The church must be in the ecclesiastical parish or district in which one or both live OR One or both parties to the marriage are on the church’s electoral roll OR One or both parties to the marriage have a Qualifying Connection to the church

Taking a notice – Evidence Each person must take proof of the name and surname they are currently using, their age and nationality. Name and age: e.g. passport Nationality: e.g. passport Proof of 7 day residence prior to giving notice The documents which will be accepted as evidence will be specified in regulations

Other documents required when giving notice Proof of marital status: Only if either party has been previously married or in a civil partnership e.g. death certificate or divorce document (with translation if required) Evidence of any name changes. Couples will be required to provide a current passport photograph which will be retained We will ask that the couple bring with them a letter (which we will provide), which needs to be signed by the Church accepting the booking

Other documents required when giving notice Non EEA nationals must make a statement as to their immigration status Those in scope of the scheme will also have to provide their usual address/contact address, if different to their place of residence The Notice period will be 28 days for all Marriages and may be extended to 70 days where the Home Office decides to investigate

Referral to Home Office Referral to Immigration Enforcement Immigration Enforcement will contact the couple and the registration service before the end of the 28 day waiting period to advise either – –the waiting period has been extended to 70 days, or –the Certificate for Marriage can be issued by the Registration Service

Referral to Home Office Referral to Immigration Enforcement (continued) If the waiting period is extended Immigration Enforcement will contact the couple and the registration officer before the end of the 70 days to advise either – –the Certificate for Marriage can be issued, or –the couple have not complied with the scheme and therefore the Certificate for Marriage/CP Schedule cannot be issued –If the 28 or 70 day period lapses and the authority has not been received from Immigration Enforcement the certificate for marriage may be issued

SR’s Certificate Where the marriage is taking place at a church within the district of notice, arrangements should be made for the photographs and SRC to be collect by a member of the clergy. Where the marriage is taking place at a church outside the district of notice, arrangements should be made for the photographs and SRC to be collect by a member of the clergy from the area where the ceremony is due to take place.

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The Ceremony Pre-ceremony checks It is good practice to check through all the details that are going to be entered in the marriage registers prior to the ceremony – but no earlier than the day before. The age, address or occupation of a person could have changed since the preliminaries to the marriage were completed e.g. banns or notice.

Checking the Superintendent Registrars Certificate All checks must be made prior to the marriage ceremony. Check the following points: Each person has a certificate. That each certificates is valid – they expire 12 months after giving notice. Confirm the names by asking “what is the name you are known by and have you ever been known by any other name?”

Checking the Superintendent Registrars Certificate – cont’d Confirm the ages by asking “how old are you today?” - they may have had a birthday since giving notice. Confirm marital status by asking “have you ever been through any form of marriage or civil partnership in this or any other country?” Check that their occupation hasn’t changed. Check their address – the address where they are living at the date of the marriage should be recorded in the registers.

Checking the Superintendent Registrars Certificate – cont’d If the details on the superintendent registrar’s certificates do not match those which will be entered into the marriage register, and where you have decided to go ahead with the marriage, you need to write the amendments on the back of the certificates in Registration ink.

Marriage Registration Each church is supplied with a set of two marriage registers. Section 55 of the Marriage Act requires that the marriage must be registered in duplicate after the lawful impediment has been asked and no objections have been raised.

Who completes the registers? The registration is only complete when it has been signed by the couple, their witnesses and the Clerk in Holy Orders at the time of the ceremony and not before.

Completing the register The marriage must be registered in the next available numbered blank space in each duplicate register. Register entries should be completed using registration ink. All surnames should be in CAPITAL letters and handwriting should be distinct and clear. No abbreviations should be used. The details in each column should be written in the space provided and not overlap any other column.

The Heading Enter the year of marriage. Enter the name of the church (only include the address if there is another building with a similar name). Enter the name of the district. Enter the county.

Column 1- Date of marriage Enter the date of marriage as follows: Day in words Month in words Year in numbers i.e. First October 2013

Column 2 – Name and Surname The names in the entry should be those recorded in the preliminary paperwork and confirmed at the pre- ceremony check. Best practice is to check what names are being used on the wedding day before writing anything in the register.

Column 2 – Name and Surname ‘otherwise’ names Some people may be known by 2 names at the same time. In these instances you should record both names e.g. ‘James SMITH otherwise James BROWN’ If the person objects, you should inform them of difficulties proving identity which could arise in the future if both names are not shown. Things like emigrating, applying for passports, inheritance etc could all be affected.

Column 2 – Name and Surname ‘formerly known as’ names Where a person has a former name or may have changed name since marriage preliminaries you should link the names with ‘formerly known as’ e.g. ‘James SMITH formerly known as James BROWN’ Again, if they object, advise them of potential problems. In both cases, if they refuse you should only enter the name/surname by which they are currently known.

Column 3 – Age Enter the age in numbers followed by “years” e.g. 25 years Ensure you check the age is correct - Do not automatically take it from the paperwork as the person may have had a birthday since they completed their marriage preliminaries.

Column 4 – Condition Confirm each person’s condition with them prior to the ceremony. If either party has never been through a previous marriage or civil partnership they should be described as ‘Single’. If their condition is different to that on their paperwork you must question them further and contact the General Register Office.

Column 5 – Rank or profession Please be as precise as you can when entering an occupation, but do not use abbreviations i.e. someone who is an “IT technician” would be shown in the registers as “Information Technology Technician” Please don’t use ‘unemployed’  a description of unpaid professions such as ‘Housewife’ or ‘Home duties’ can be used, or  put the last paid occupation, or  insert a line to indicate the space has been intentionally left blank.

Column 6 - Residence Check the addresses. Enter the address each person is residing at on the day of the wedding. Please write the full address for both parties even if they live at the same address. Please do not use ditto marks or ‘as above’.

Column 7 – Father’s name and surname Enter the name of the person’s natural father. If deceased, put that in brackets after the name e.g. ‘John SMITH (deceased)’ The term step-father can be used when a man was married to the person’s mother at any time. In these instances put the name followed by ‘step- father’ e.g. ‘John SMITH (step-father)’

Column 7 – Father’s name and surname - Adoptive Father If either of the parties has been adopted, record the adoptive fathers name. If the fathers surname is different, you can add (adoptive parent) if they wish. If the sole adopter was a woman, this can also be recorded in the father’s details box as follows ‘Jane SMITH (adoptive parent)’

Column 8 – Rank or profession of father Enter full description of father’s occupation with no abbreviations. If retired put in brackets after occupation i.e. ‘Heavy Goods Vehicle Driver (retired)’

Father’s details not known The couple may refuse to have the father’s details shown. It is worth pointing out that the historical trail will be lost and may have implications if they wish to emigrate or for inheritance purposes. If they are determined not to include this information in the marriage registration you should put a line in the father’s details box’s to indicate that these spaces have been left intentionally blank.

Completing the entry Immediately beneath the boxed section of the marriage entry the following information needs to be entered: The name of the building. The title of the denomination under whose rites and ceremonies the marriage has taken palace. The type of preliminary e.g. after banns, by special licence, or by certificate.

Completing the entry Always ask the couple to check the entry carefully, before they sign it. Remember it’s a formal process to correct an entry once it has been signed/completed. It is very helpful to write a pencil note in the margin of exactly how each person - both the couple and their witnesses - have signed. The same applies to you - someone trying to issue a certificate in 10 years time may find it difficult to read your signature!

Completing Certificates A certificate is a certified copy of an entry. The entry in the register should be reproduced accurately on to the certificate including any marginal note corrections. Do not reproduce numbered errors, or pencil notes. Signatures should be written exactly as signed e.g. ‘A. Smith’. Do not ask the couple to sign The certificate must be signed by the Clerk in Holy Orders who is officiating at the church.

Completed Registers When the registers are full, the minister must send one register to the Superintendent Registrar for Kent or deliver it to your nearest main Register Office. This is then added to the churches index and retained along with all their other registers. The church retain the duplicate register for their own records.

Quarterly returns All Clergy are legally required to make quarterly returns showing all the marriages which have been registered, within the quarter, in the set of registers allocated to their church. Quarterly returns should be completed in registration ink. It is good practice to complete the quarterly form after each marriage, however the couple should never be asked to sign the quarterly forms - they are always to be completed by the officiating minister, as an exact copy of the register entry.

Completing Quarterly Returns Any numbered errors, pencil or marginal notes should be reproduced exactly onto the returns form. Please ensure that each quarter is completed on separate forms. If completing a ‘nil’ return please state the church and Parish clearly, there are a lot of St Mary’s in Kent ! Please don’t forget to complete and sign the back of the return as it will be returned to you if you don’t.

Timing of Returns The returns should be received by your local superintendent registrar, by the 15 th day of the month following the end of the quarter. (March, June, September & December) Once all returns are received and logged, they are sent to the General Register Office to be keyed onto a central database.

Why do I need to send quarterly copies in on time? The law requires it. Someone may need a copy certificate urgently. The national database is incomplete until all entries are added. If your register is stolen or damaged, there is no other record of the marriage. It keeps your local Superintendent Registrar happy !!!

Keying Quarterly Returns Someone at the General Register Office will have to read and key in the contents of a marriage entry. Please print clearly, especially any signatures. This is why we ask you to keep a pencil record in the margin of exactly what has been written as a signature.

What happens at the General Register Office? All the entries are checked. Entries are divided into volumes. The entries are keyed onto a computer database. They then form part of the national index and people can obtain copies from the General Register Office.

Errors A register is a legal document and errors cannot just be erased or written over. Never correct an error, even an accidental blot, by:  rubbing it out,  using correction fluid,  or writing over it. There is a legal, formal procedure set out to deal with the correction of errors in a completed marriage entry.

Errors and Corrections There are two types of error: Those discovered before the entry is complete; corrected by a numbered correction. All errors should be numbered consecutively throughout each register. Those discovered after the entry is complete; corrected by a formal marginal note. An entry is classed as complete when the officiating minister has signed it and added their official description.

Errors in Duplicate Registers An error should not be repeated in the duplicate entry. The numbering in each register may be different but the information in the entries MUST be the same. Always reproduce the errors and the numbered corrections in your quarterly copies.

If you discover an error in a completed entry Don’t panic. Do something about it now, if it is left for years, corrections can take a long time to complete. Always ring the General Register Office for advice. Tel:

Corrections to completed entries The General Register office will usually ask for evidence to be submitted to support the correction. The couple married will usually have to be present and witness the correction. The correction is made by way of a pen note in the margin. If the error is only in one of the registers a correction will not be made but the incorrect register entry will be closed.

Corrections to completed entries (cont’d) The General Register Office will provide guidance on how the correction should be made. Once the correction and marginal note has been made the witnesses sign, followed by the minister adding their designation and date of the correction. The correction must be made in each register at the same time. If a quarterly copy of the entry has already been submitted this will need to be updated. GRO will request an “occasional copy” is submitted, showing the correction.

Contacting GRO or your local RO It is far better to contact your local register office or GRO if you have any problems or worries before the wedding has taken place. They are there to provide help and make sure the whole process is completed legally.

Some reminders Registration stock Replacement stock (Certificate books and marriage registers) can be ordered free of charge from the General Register Office. Send in the tear off slip in the certificate book or or phone Registration Ink – from Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies Tel:

Security of blank certificates Each book of blank marriage certificates has a ‘certificate issue’ sheet. This should be completed every time a certificate is issued and the certificate number recorded. For security reasons it is best to keep the certificate issue sheet separate from your certificates. Blank certificates have a high value amongst criminals and should be kept secure at all times.

Local Office contact details for Clergy or couples wishing to book a Notice of Marriage appointment Maidstone/Ashford – Ramsgate/Dover/Folkestone – Dartford/Gravesend – Bexley – Canterbury/Swale – Tunbridge Wells/Tonbridge – Quarterly returns dealt with at The Archbishops Palace, Maidstone

Guidance General Register Office – Guidance for Clergy document the-clergy

Any Questions?