How to Lodge your Notification of Intention to Marry with the HSE

All couples wishing to have their Irish wedding ceremony recognised as a legal marriage must lodge a “Notification of Intention to Marry” with the HSE.

In order to do this in person, you must make an appointment with a HSE Civil Registration Office of your choice.

If you are living outside of Ireland you can lodge your notification by post. Email the HSE Office most convenient to you and ask them what you need to do for postal lodgement. (You should never post originals of important documents as they may be lost in the post.)

There are some requirements to comply with:

you must lodge your NOIM with the HSE at least 3 months before your wedding date and to 12 months in advance of your wedding.
if you wish to be married less than 12 months from now, book your HSE appointment right away, even if you haven’t yet chosen your wedding venue or your celebrant/solemniser
make your appointment a good few weeks away, giving yourself plenty of time to choose your wedding venue and your Celebrant/Solemniser.

How to Book Your In-person NOIM Appointment

If you wish, you can contact your nearest HSE Civil Registration Office to book your appointment over the phone.

If you prefer, for most offices you can also book your notification appointment online which can save a lot of time. You can also email the office directly.

For a list of HSE Civil Registration Office contacts see this page.

If you email the HSE office located most conveniently to you they will confirm what documentation they need you to bring with you for your circumstances. Your documentation may include:

Full birth certificate
Photo ID
Plus anything else you are requested to bring – please ask your HSE office

It is not appropriate for me to advise the complete list of documents you need to bring to your HSE appointment as each situation can be different and usually is. Please ask your HSE Civil Registration office what documents they need from you.

At your HSE notification appointment if you have provided all the necessary information your marriage registration form/marriage licence (MRF) will be printed and given to you in the all-important “Green Folder”. You are required to bring your “Green Folder” and MRF with you to your wedding as your MRF is the legal document which needs to be signed during your ceremony.

But What if Our Wedding is Less 3 Months Away?

If your wedding is less than 3 months away, you can obtain a court order to give you an exemption from the 3 months minimum notice.

If your wedding is less than 3 months away and you would like to be legally married, please call me for advice as there are circumstances where the court order is granted and there are circumstances where it is not, so it is not appropriate for me to post that advice here online.

You should also be well on the way booking all your suppliers who are going to come together to make your big day happen!