Statutory Instruments
1996 No. 2558

REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, ETC.
ENGLAND AND WALES
The Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Regulations 1996

Made
8th October 1996

Coming into force
1st November 1996

The Registrar General, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 31(5), 32(4) and 74(b) of the Marriage Act 1949(1) as extended by section 26(3) of the Welsh Language Act 1993(2) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, with the approval of the Chancellor of the Exchequer(3), hereby makes the following Regulations—

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Regulations 1996 and shall come into force on 1st November 1996.

Amendment of the Registration of Marriages Regulations 1986

2.  In the Registration of Marriages Regulations 1986(4), in form 12 in Schedule 1 (instructions for the solemnization of a marriage in a registered building without the presence of a registrar), after paragraph 5 there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

“5A.  If the marriage is solemnized on or after 1st February 1997(5), as an alternative to the declaration set out in paragraph 5, the persons contracting the marriage may make the declaration—

(a)by saying “I declare that I know of no legal reason why I [name] may not be joined in marriage to [name]”; or

(b)by replying “I am” to the question put to them successively “Are you [name] free lawfully to marry [name] ?”

and as an alternative to the words of contract set out in paragraph 5, the persons to be married may say to each other “I [name] take you [or thee] [name] to be my wedded wife [or husband]”.”.

Given under my hand on 8th October 1996

Dr. D. Holt
Registrar General

I approve,

Kenneth Clarke
Chancellor of the Exchequer
8th October 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Registration of Marriages Regulations 1986 and the Registration of Marriages (Welsh Language) Regulations 1986, to reflect amendments made to the Marriage Act 1949 (“the 1949 Act”) by the Marriage Ceremony (Prescribed Words) Act 1996 (“the 1996 Act”). The 1996 Act, which is to come into force on 1 February 1997, will permit the use of new words of declaration and contract in certain marriage ceremonies, as an alternative to the words of declaration and contract which are currently required by section 44(3) of the 1949 Act.
The Regulations amend the printed instructions to be given to the persons to be married in a registered building otherwise than in the presence of a registrar, to include the new alternatives in English (regulation 2) and, where the marriage is to be solemnized in Wales, in both English and Welsh (regulation 3).
These Regulations impose no costs on business.
(Nid yw'r nodyn hwn rhan o'r Rheoliadau)
Mae'r Rheoliadau hyn yn diwygio Rheoliadau Cofrestru Priodasau 1986 a Rheoliadau Cofrestru Priodasau (Cymraeg) 1986, i adlewyrchu'r diwygiadau a wnaed i Ddeddf Priodasau 1949 (“Deddf 1949”) gan Ddeddf Seremonïau Priodasol (Geiriau Penodedig) 1996 (“Deddf 1996”). Bydd Deddf 1996, a ddaw i rym ar 1 Chwefror 1997, yn caniatáu defnyddio geiriau newydd yn y datganiad a'r cytundeb priodasol mewn seremonïau priodas penodol, yn hytrach na'r geiriau y mae gofyn eu dweud ar hyn o bryd o dan adran 44(3) yn Neddf 1949 yn y datganiad a'r cytundeb priodasol.
Mae'r Rheoliadau yn diwygio'r cyfarwyddiadau argraffedig a roddir i bersonau a fydd yn priodi mewn adeilad cofrestredig lle nad ydyw cofrestrydd yn bresennol, ac maent yn cynnwys y dewisiadau newydd yn Saesneg (rheoliad 2), ac yn Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg (rheoliad 3) lle bo'r briodas yn cael ei gweinyddu yng Nghymru.
Nid yw'r Rheoliadau hyn yn gorfodi unrhyw gost ar fusnes.


(1)
1949 c. 76.

(2)
1993 c. 38.

(3)
The approval of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is required by section 74 of the Marriage Act 1949 and section 20 of the Registration Service Act 1953, as amended by article 5(1) and paragraphs 11 and 13 of Schedule 2 to the Transfer of Functions (Registration and Statistics) Order 1996 (S.I. 1996/273).

(4)
S.I. 1986/1442, as amended by S.I. 1995/744.

(5)
The Marriage Ceremony (Prescribed Words) Act 1996 comes into force on that date. See the Marriage Ceremony (Prescribed Words) Act 1996 Commencement Order 1996 S.I. 1996/2506 (C. 67).