Who can get married?

According to the law of the United Kingdom, a man and a woman may marry if they are both 16 years or over and free to marry, that is, either single, widowed or divorced.

In the United Kingdom people cannot marry:-

• people aged 16 or 17 who do not have parental consent - see below.
• people of the same sex. For people who have had a sex change operation, the relevant gender is that on the birth certificate.
• certain relatives.

Young people.

A young person who is 16 or 17 cannot marry without parental consent. Each parent with parental responsibility is entitled to give parental consent. In some circumstances, other people may give parental consent.

Relatives who may not marry.

The following people cannot marry, in any circumstances, because of their blood relationship.

Adopted children and their genetic parents and genetic grandparents may not marry. If they do, the marriage will be automatically void even if they do not know they are related. Adopted children may not marry their adoptive parents but they are allowed to marry the rest of their adoptive family, including their adoptive brother or sister.

People who are step relations or in-laws may marry only in certain circumstances.

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