The Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003

[F1 Marriage notice: false information or evidence N.I.

7A.— (1) A registrar may refuse to complete a marriage schedule under Article 7 (or where one has already been completed, may cancel it) in a case where—

(a) a marriage notice has been given under Article 3(1), and

(b) the registrar has reasonable grounds for suspecting that a relevant decision was made incorrectly because of the provision of false information or evidence in or accompanying that notice.

(2) If the registrar refuses to complete (or cancels) a marriage schedule under paragraph (1), the parties to the proposed marriage are to be taken not to have given notice under Article 3(1); but that does not prevent criminal proceedings from being brought against either party, or any other person, in relation to the giving of notice.

(3) This Article does not limit any other power of the registrar to refuse to complete (or, as the case may be, cancel) a marriage schedule.

(4) In the case of a religious marriage, if the marriage schedule has already been issued, and it is practicable to do so, the registrar shall—

(a) notify the officiant that the marriage schedule has been cancelled, and

(b) advise the officiant not to solemnise the marriage.

(5) In this Article—

“evidence” includes a photograph or other image;

“exempt person” has the same meaning as in Article 3E;

“relevant decision” means a decision of a registrar that a party to the proposed marriage is an exempt person.]

F1 Art. 7A inserted (1.3.2015) by The Referral and Investigation of Proposed Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Northern Ireland and Miscellaneous Provisions) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/395), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 6(1) (with art. 1(3))