Foreign Marriage Act 1892

11 Marriage officers and their districts.

(1) For the purposes of this Act the following officers shall be marriage officers, that is to say :—

(a) Any officer authorised in that behalf by a Secretary of State by authority in writing under his hand (in this Act referred to as a marriage warrant); and

(b) Any officer who, under the marriage regulations herein-after mentioned is authorised to act as marriage officer without any marriage warrant,

and the district of a marriage officer shall be the area within which the duties of his office are exerciseable, or any such less area as is assigned by the marriage warrant or any other warrant of a Secretary of State, or is fixed by the marriage regulations.

(2) Any marriage warrant of a Secretary of State may authorize to be a marriage officer—

(a) a British ambassador residing in a foreign country to the government of which he is accredited, and also any officer prescribed as an officer for solemnizing marriages in the official house of such ambassador ;

(b) the holder of the office of British consul in any foreign country or place specified in the warrant; and

(c) a governor, high commissioner, resident, consular or other officer, or any person appointed in pursuance of the marriage regulations to act in the place of a high commissioner or resident, and this Act shall, apply with the prescribed modifications to a marriage by or before a governor, high commissioner, resident, or officer so authorised by the warrant; and in such application shall not be limited to places outside Her Majesty's dominions.

(3) If a marriage warrant refers to- the office without designating the name of any particular person holding the office, then, while the' warrant is in force, the person for the time being holding or acting in such office shall be a marriage officer.

(4) A Secretary of State may, by warrant under his hand, vary or revoke any marriage warrant previously issued under this Act.

(5) Where a marriage officer has no seal of his office, any reference in this Act to the official seal shall be construed to refer to any seal ordinarily used by him, if authenticated by his signature with his official name and description.