Officiant registration

A religious body may apply to the Registrar General for its members, aged 21 or over, to be registered to officiate at weddings in Northern Ireland. For those religious bodies without this facility, an application must be completed to request Officiant registration.

Permanent Officiant application

If your church has not had permanent officiant approved by the Register General since 1 January 2004, you should complete application form GRO 460 - Application for approval as an officiant at religious marriages in Northern Ireland

You will be required to provide the following:

the constitution of the church
confirmation of charity status if applicable
declaratory words to be spoken by the parties during the marriage ceremony whereby they take each other as husband and wife
religious credentials of the Nominee or references
if prior to making this application the nominee was ministering outside Northern Ireland a letter from his previous superior

Additional permanent Officiant application

In certain circumstances the Registrar General may approve an additional permanent officiant. If your church feels it requires another permanent officiant, you should complete application form GRO 461 - Application for approval as an additional Officiant at religious marriages in Northern Ireland.

You will be required to provide the following documents:

religious credentials of the nominee or references
if prior to making this application the nominee was ministering outside Northern Ireland, a letter from his previous superior

Temporary Officiant application: church has an approved permanent Officiant

If your church has a permanent Officiant and requires temporary approval for another Officiant, you should complete application form GRO 464 - Application for temporary approval as an Oficiant at religious mariages in Northern Ireland.

You will be required to provide the following documents:

religious credentials of the Nominee or references
a letter from his/her superior, if the Nominee is ministering outside Northern Ireland

Temporary Officiant application: church does not have an approved permanent Officiant

If your church does not have a permanent Officiant and requires temporary approval for an Officiant, you should complete form GRO 465 - Application for temporary approval as an Officiant at religious marriages in Northern Ireland.

You will be required to provide the following:

the constitution of the church to which you belong
confirmation of charity status if applicable

If you are unable to provide either of the above, the signatures and addresses of 10 householders affiliated with the church should be supplied - please see back of application form.

declaratory words to be spoken by the parties during the marriage ceremony whereby they take each other as husband and wife
religious credentials or references
letter from your superior
the signatures and addresses of 10 householders affiliated with the church

The Nominating Officer must be a church official, for example a senior elder, president or secretary. The term minister is used in the application form to describe the person who will officiate at the wedding. You can find out more by reading the following GRO guidance.

Should you have any questions regarding your application, please do not hesitate to contact GRO as follows: