The Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003

[F1 Effect of reducing statutory period N.I.

5.— (1) Where—

(a) the Registrar General has authorised—

(i) the reduction of the notice period for service of the marriage notice under regulation 3(2) of the Marriage Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, or

(ii) the registrar to complete a marriage schedule before the expiry of the relevant 70 day period in accordance with paragraph 4; and

(b) the authorisation under sub-paragraph (i) or, as the case may be, (ii) of paragraph (a) is given at a time when the duty under Article 7(1) to complete a marriage schedule in respect of the referred marriage has not arisen in accordance with paragraph 2 or 3,

the duty under Article 7(1) to complete the marriage schedule arises on the giving of the authorisation, subject to any other requirements applicable to the completion of the schedule (and in the case of an authorisation mentioned in paragraph (a)(i), any other requirements applicable to the giving of notice) being met.

(2) But the requirements of paragraph 2 are not applicable in such a case.

(3) The Secretary of State is not prevented from deciding to conduct, conducting or continuing, an investigation if a marriage schedule is completed as mentioned in sub-paragraph (1).

(4) But in such a case, nothing in the 2014 Act requires the Secretary of State to decide whether to conduct, or to continue, an investigation.

(5) In this paragraph “investigation” means an investigation, conducted following a decision by the Secretary of State under section 48 of the 2014 Act, whether a proposed marriage is a sham.]

F1 Sch. 2 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. 4 (with art. 1(3))