PART 1Consular marriage under UK law
Provision for consular marriage
1(1)Her Majesty may by Order in Council make provision for two people to marry each other—
(a)in prescribed countries or territories outside the United Kingdom, and
(b)in the presence of a registration officer,
in cases where the officer is satisfied that the conditions in sub-paragraph (2) are met.
(2)The conditions are that—
(a)at least one of the people proposing to marry is a United Kingdom national,
(b)the people proposing to marry would have been eligible to marry each other in such part of the United Kingdom as is determined in accordance with the Order,
(c)the authorities of the country or territory in which it is proposed that they marry will not object to the marriage, and
(d)insufficient facilities exist for them to enter into a marriage under the law of that country or territory.
Refusal by registration officer
2(1)A registration officer is not required to allow two people to marry each other if the registration officer’s opinion is that a marriage between them would be inconsistent with international law or the comity of nations.
(2)An Order in Council under this Part of this Schedule may make provision for appeals against a refusal, in reliance on sub-paragraph (1), to allow two people to marry each other.
No religious service
3No religious service is to be used at the solemnization of a consular marriage.
Treatment of marriage as taking place in part of UK for certain purposes
4An Order in Council under this Part of this Schedule may provide that two people who marry in a consular marriage are to be treated for prescribed purposes as if they had married in the relevant part of the United Kingdom.
Validity of consular marriage
5A consular marriage is valid in law as if the marriage had been solemnized in the relevant part of the United Kingdom with a due observance of all forms required by the law of the relevant part of the United Kingdom.
Interpretation
6In this Part of this Schedule—
“consular marriage” means a marriage solemnized in accordance with the provisions of this Part of this Schedule and any Order in Council made under it;
“registration officer” means—
(a)a consular officer in the service of Her Majesty’s government in the United Kingdom, or
(b)in the case of registration in a country or territory in which Her Majesty’s government in the United Kingdom has for the time being no consular representative, a person authorised by the Secretary of State in respect of the solemnization of marriages in that country or territory;
“relevant part of the United Kingdom”, in relation to a consular marriage, means the part of the United Kingdom determined in accordance with paragraph 1(2)(b) for the purposes of the marriage.