From November 2007, the marriage provisions of the Civil Registration Act, 2004 will be commenced and will replace the current marriage legislation in the Republic of Ireland.

The main changes resulting from this will be as follows:-

• The notification of intention to marry (three months’ notice) will have to be given in person to a Registrar, rather than by post; However before the registrar is notified the parish church must be booked and confirmed by the local priest.
• All couples giving notification after 5th November 2007 must sign declarations of no impediment and obtain a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) from a Registrar in advance of the ceremony; this will be issued after they have completed the necessary notification procedures and the Registrar is satisfied they are free to marry.
• The registrar to complete the MRF will require: Photo identity, names and dates of birth of witnesses, name of the church, date of marriage, name of priest who will officiate, if either party has been previously married they must provide the civil register with the original divorce decree or a death certificate if widowed. A fee is charged by the registrar of €150.
• The proper and ordinary place for a catholic marriage to be celebrated remains the parish church. (Ideally, a parish church the couple have a connection with)
• The priest who officiates at the wedding is – from the perspective of civil law- known as the ‘solemniser’ of the marriage.
• A Register of Solemnisers of Marriage has been created and is maintained by the General Register Office. All those solemnising a civil or religious marriage after the above date must be on this Register. It is vital to check if the priest is on the list of solemnisers. All parish clergy in the republic are on this list. For a priest to get on this register of solemnisers he must contact the Chancellery at Archbishop’s House.
• Before the wedding the couple must present the MRF to the solemniser before the wedding so that he can check the details are correct. The wedding cannot take place without the Marriage Registration Form (MRF)
• The couple make a declaration of no civil impediment before the wedding Mass or service begins. This occurs after the groom greets the bride at the foot of the sanctuary. The solemniser (priest) in the presences of the witnesses asks the bride and groom individually the following: X – do you declare that you do not know of any civil impediment to the marriage you are about to enter with Y? Y – do you declare that you do not know of any civil impediment to the marriage you are about to enter with X?
• After the marriage has been celebrated, it is the responsibility of the couple (not the local priest or solemniser) to return the MRF to the Registrar’s office. This form must be returned within one month of the marriage.
• More information can be found at www.groireland.ie
• Couples must still complete the Pre-Nuptial enquiry form with the priest in the parish where they reside and carry out some marriage preparation ideally a pre-marriage course.
• Any couple who gave notification to the registrar before 5th November 07 need not worry about the MRF. However their priest must be on the list of solemnisers and also you must complete the declaration of civil impediment before the wedding mass or service begins.