Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships

If you have a venue in Kensington and Chelsea and wish to register your venue as a location where civil ceremonies may take place, an application may be made by a trustee or proprietor. Please follow the steps below:

1. Complete the application form which can be found at the bottom of this page;
2. Gather the following supporting documents:
   
   •    Up to date plans clearly indicating which rooms will be licensed for ceremonies, and clearly indicating entrances and exits, disabled entrances and exits, fire exits, disabled fire / emergency exits, toilet facilities;
   •    Confirmation that you hold a premises licence;
   •    Most up to date fire risk assessment including a fire evacuation plan (not older than 18 months);
   •    Copy of indemnity insurance policy;
   •    A purchase order covering the cost of the licence.

3. Return your completed application form and supporting documents to [email protected] or by post to Kensington and Chelsea Register Office, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, SW3 5EE.

Once your application is received, an invoice will be issued and payment should be made by BACS. Fees for ceremonies licences from 1 April 2023 are as follows:

As part of the licensing procedure, an inspection visit will take place by both the Superintendent Registrar and an officer from the council’s Fire, Health and Safety department. In addition, a public advertisement will appear in the notices section of this webpage (below) for three weeks allowing for public objections.

Once an application has been approved, the holder must notify us any change of circumstances including: 

• layout of the premises;
• use of the premises;
• name or full postal address of the premises;
• description of the room or rooms in which the proceedings are to take place;
• name or address of the holder of the approval; and
• name, address or qualification of responsible persons.

Approval of additional rooms is treated as a new application. 

This application form should also be used if you are the trustee or proprietor of a religious building licensed for marriages and wish to licence it for civil partnerships. 

Religious marriages and civil partnerships

If you represent a religious building and would like to: license it for worship; license it for opposite and / or same sex marriages, or disuse the building as a religious venue, please see the links below for full information.  The completed forms should be sent to us at [email protected] 

Licensing for worship

Licensing for marriages (opposite sex, or opposite sex and same sex)

Notifying that a religious building is no longer in use as such

Application forms

Apply for approval of premises for marriage ceremonies and civil partnership registrations.

Notices under the Marriage Acts 1949 and 1994, Civil Partnership Act 2004

An application has been received to renew the licence for The Rembrandt Hotel, 11 Thurloe Place, London, SW7 2RS as an approved premises for marriages and civil partnerships. The application can be viewed at the Kensington and Chelsea Register Office, Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, London, SW3 5EE during usual opening hours. Any person who subsequently wishes to object to the granting of the licence should write to Steven Lord, Superintendent Registrar, at the address above within 21 days of this notice.

Sarah Taylor, Deputy Superintendent Registrar – 5th March 2024

An application has been received to renew the licence for The Kensington Hotel, 109-113 Queen's Gate, London, SW7 5LP as an approved premises for marriages and civil partnerships. The application can be viewed at the Kensington and Chelsea Register Office, Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, London, SW3 5EE during usual opening hours. Any person who subsequently wishes to object to the granting of the licence should write to Steven Lord, Superintendent Registrar, at the address above within 21 days of this notice.

Sarah Taylor, Deputy Superintendent Registrar – 6th March 2024