Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

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Last updated 18 June 2021

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has introduced the below measures for the Registration Service as part of its response to COVID-19:

Death Registration

Legislation came into force which allows death registrations to be carried out without the attendance of an informant at the registration office which reduces/removes face to face contact with the general public. The legislation relates to the registration of all deaths and will continue in this method until further notice.

Birth Registration

Council’s Birth Registration Service operates strictly by appointment - see office opening hours at bottom of this page. A risk assessment is in place which is kept under review in line with government restrictions. It is a legislative requirement for parents to register a birth within 42 days.

We would request that parents scan and email or email a picture of the GRO4 form (see below link) or post to the relevant registration office.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/birth-registration-form An editable version of the GRO4 form is available at the bottom of this page.

On receipt of the form a Registrar will make contact to arrange an appointment.

Marriage and Civil Partnership

Currently you can only give notice for your marriage or civil partnership by post. Please send your original completed marriage or civil partnership notice forms to the relevant office, along with actual full birth certificates and photocopies of your passports. For religious and belief marriages you can send a cheque for £44.00 (£22.00 per notice) made payable to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, or we can contact you for payment by telephone. You will be able to collect your schedule in person once ready. The fee of £8.00 for the marriage certificate can be paid when attending your schedule collection appointment. After the marriage ceremony takes place, please return schedule by post or leave in secure post box at the relevant office location. Staff will register and post out your marriage certificate. A COVID-19 ceremony advice sheet is available below.

We are now accepting new civil ceremony bookings.

Following the NI Executives announcements on 6 and 9 July in relation to marriages and civil partnerships, it is now possible from 10 July to hold these events indoors. The Executive Office guidance is available below. It provides detail on what can happen at the ceremony and should be read by all registrars, celebrants, officiants and venue managers.

A link to the NI Executive document ‘Guidance to venues and couples organising marriage, civil partnership and other celebratory events’ is provided below.

Latest Government Restrictions - Please be aware that your marriage/civil partnership ceremony must be conducted under the current NI Executive restrictions:

Marriages & Civil Partnerships

Numbers at marriage and civil partnership ceremonies will be determined by a risk assessment completed by the venue.

Guidelines state that up to 6 people from two households (not including children under 12) are permitted in a private dwelling. This means that a marriage can take place in a private dwelling if all other guests at the marriage or civil partnership are from one household with the registrar/officiant being from the second household.

Marriage and civil partnerships can continue to take place in a person’s home if one of the parties is terminally ill with up to 10 people in attendance (this includes the couple, two witnesses and the officiant).

Marriage and civil partnership ceremonies in private gardens are restricted to 15 people from three different households (including children). Ceremonies can take place in a private garden if all other participants at the ceremony are from two households with the registrar/officiant being from the third household.

For indoor ceremonies face masks must be worn by all except the couple being married or forming a civil partnership and the registrar/officiant performing the ceremony. Current guidance states that children under the age of 12 do not have to wear a face mask. Information on the wearing of face masks at marriage and civil partnership ceremonies can be found in the link below.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-face-coverings

It is good practice to wear face masks at an outdoor marriage or civil partnership ceremony but there is no legislation to enforce this.

Live music is permitted at marriage and civil partnership ceremonies and the provision of live music should be considered by the venue during the completion of the risk assessment.

Guidance provided by GRO in relation to marriages and civil partnership relates to the ceremony only and not the reception. Couples should contact their venue with any questions regarding the reception.

A religious/belief officiant can carry out a marriage ceremony at any location in Northern Ireland, it does not have to be an approved venue. It is the responsibility of the religious/belief officiant to ensure that COVID-19 restrictions are adhered to. A guidance/marriage restrictions document dated 18 June 2021 is available at the bottom of this page.

The NI Executive Wedding Guidance Booklet is available below:

https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/execoffice/guidance-marriages-civil-partnerships-other-celebratory-events.pdf

Click here for the most up to date information.

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Information booklets & leaflets are available at the Registration Reception. Forms are available to the Public for Name changes, Adoptions, Re-registrations, Marriage and Civil Partnership Application, Birth and Death registration.

Please find below forms which are on the NI Direct website www.nidirect.gov.uk and links to where they can be found:

commemorative https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/commemorative-certificate-application-form
GRO 004 birth registration https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/birth-registration-form
GRO 012 birth registration - record fathers name https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/birth-re-registration-forms
GRO 013 declaration of parentage form - married https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/declaration-paternity-form
GRO 015 birth registration - married since birth https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/birth-re-registration-forms
GRO 040 Birth certificate https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/birth-certificate-application-form
GRO 040a Adoption certificate https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/adoption-certificate-application-form
GRO 041 Death certificate https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/death-certificate-application-form
GRO 041a Stillbirth certificate https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/stillbirth-certificate-application-form
GRO 042 Marriage certificate https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/marriage-certificate-application-form
GRO 073 Death registration https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/death-registration-form
GRO 099 Civil partnership-certificate https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/civil-partnership-certificate-application-form
GRO 229 Birth certificate https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/birth-certificate-amendment-form
GRO 230 name change under 18 https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/change-name-application-form-child-under-18
GRO 231 name change over 18 https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/change-name-application-form-anyone-18-or-over
GRO 433 Civil partnership notice https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/civil-partnership-notice-form
GRO 446 Marriage notice https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/marriage-notice-form
GRO 447 Marriage index-search https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/marriage-index-search-application-form
GRO 460 Permanent officiant https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/%5Bcurrent-domain%3Amachine-name%5D/permanent-officiant-application-form-GRO460.PDF
GRO 461 Additional permanent-officiant https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/%5Bcurrent-domain%3Amachine-name%5D/additional-permanent-officiant-application-form-GRO461.pdf
GRO 464 Temporary officiant church https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/%5Bcurrent-domain%3Amachine-name%5D/temporary-officiant-application-for-church-with-permanent-officiant-GRO464.pdf
GRO 465 Temporary officiant without church https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/%5Bcurrent-domain%3Amachine-name%5D/temporary-officiant-application-for-church-without-permanent-officiant-GRO465.pdf
GRO 470 Humanist Temporary officiant https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/temporary-celebrant-application-form
ACR 7 adoption contact reg part 1 https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/application-form-entry-part-1-adoption-contact-register-if-you-are-over-18-years-age-and-have-been
ACR 11 adoption contact reg part 2 https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/application-form-entry-part-2-adoption-contact-register-if-you-are-over-18-years-age-and-member
ACR 14 access birth records pre 1987 https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/application-form-access-birth-records-by-person-adopted-18-december-1987-acr-14
ACR 15 access birth records post 1987 https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/application-form-access-birth-records-by-person-adopted-or-after-18-december-1987-acr-15
Record NI connections form- entry to be made https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/record-northern-ireland-connections-forms
Record NI connections form - copy of entry https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/record-northern-ireland-connections-forms

Each office can only provide certificates for a Birth, Death, Marriage or Civil Partnership when you are registering the event. You can order certificates for previously registered events in one of the following ways:

Online: www.nidirect.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 200 7890
Post: Ask a member of staff for an application form
In Person: The General Register Office (GRO), Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast BT9 5RR

GRO holds records from 1845 for non-Roman Catholic marriages and 1 January 1864 onwards for all marriages, births and deaths.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Registration Offices are located in Ballycastle, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Limavady.