Proving Single Status
Getting married in another country can be a wonderful occasion with much planning and anticipation beforehand. However, with it comes the bureaucracy of meeting the foreign government’s legal requirements.
If you are a UK citizen getting married outside of the UK you may be asked to provide documentation before the marriage can take place. One document that is often requested is to provide evidence that you are single. This can be done using several different documents and requests vary by country.
The document will normally require an apostille when being used outside of the UK. When you have obtained the correct document we can provide a fast apostille service.
Common documents that we process
Common documents we process with apostille certificates to prove single status:
- Certificate of no impediment – used when getting married
- No trace of marriage document
- Statutory declaration confirming you are not married
Certificate of No Impediment – CNI
The CNI is provided by your Local UK Registrars Office in the UK to UK citizens intending to marry in some countries abroad. This is the office that registers births marriages and deaths. They will place a notice of your intended marriage and issue the certificate after 28 days. There is no fast track option. Please speak to your Registrars Office for more information on obtaining this document. They cannot be obtained anywhere else. We cannot obtain the CNI certificate for you. If you are a non-UK citizen you need to seek advice locally.
No trace of Marriage Document
The General Register Office can issue a letter confirming no trace of marriage during a set period of time. Please contact the GRO on 0300 1231 837 for information on requesting this document. It takes around 3 weeks to obtain the document.
Which document do you need for your specific requirements?
We are often asked which document should be used to prove single status. This is something you need to ask the officials what will oversee the marriage in the country you are marrying in. this might be a wedding coordinator, a religious minister or local official such as the local council or registrar.
It is important you check with the person conducting the legal ceremony as they are the person that must be satisfied with your documentation before they can carry out the marriage ceremony.
Statutory Declaration
A solicitor or notary public can assist you in making a Statutory Declaration or you can prepare a statutory declaration yourself. A statutory declaration is a formal statement made in the presence of a solicitor or notary public. They are commonly created by a person making a declaration that they are single and free to marry.
Free Stat Dec for Single Status – Sample Statutory Declaration of Single Status
Please note, we cannot create the document for you and our solicitor cannot witness you signing the declaration. You need to contact a local solicitor or notary for assistance.
Where to Obtain Your Documents
Certificate of no impediment (when getting married overseas) – registry office where births and marriages are recorded
No trace of marriage document – General Registrars Office or National Records Office Scotland
Statutory Declaration – you make this yourself with a solicitor or notary public.
Unfortunately, we cannot order these documents for you.
We are a UK based apostille service. We add the UK apostille to UK documents. Unfortunately, we cannot provide advice on non UK citizens proving they are single.
