- Latest available (Revised)
- Point in Time (27/02/2023)
- Original (As enacted)
Marriage Act 1949
You are here:
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
Opening Options
More Resources
Changes over time for: Section 76
Alternative versions:
- 01/02/1991- Amendment
- 01/03/2015- Amendment
- 01/08/2021- Amendment
- 27/02/2023
Point in time
Status:
Point in time view as at 27/02/2023.
Changes to legislation:
Marriage Act 1949, Section 76 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 24 February 2025. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes to Legislation
Changes and effects yet to be applied by the editorial team are only applicable when viewing the latest version or prospective version of legislation. They are therefore not accessible when viewing legislation as at a specific point in time. To view the ‘Changes to Legislation’ information for this provision return to the latest version view using the options provided in the ‘What Version’ box above.
76 Offences relating to registration of marriages.E+W
(1)Any person who refuses or without reasonable cause omits to register any marriage which he is required by this Act to register, and any person having the custody of a marriage register book or a certified copy of a marriage register book or part thereof who carelessly loses or injures the said book or copy or carelessly allows the said book or copy to be injured while in his keeping, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding [F1level 3 on the standard scale].
F2(2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(3)Any registrar who knowingly and wilfully registers any marriage which is void by virtue of any of the provisions of Part III of this Act shall be guilty of felony and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
(4)The balance of any sum paid or recovered on account of a fine imposed under subsection (1) F3... of this section after making any such payments in respect of court or police fees as are mentioned in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of section five of the M1Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1914, shall be paid—
(a)F4... into the Exchequer; F5...
F5(b). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(5)Subject as may be prescribed, a superintendent registrar may prosecute any person guilty of an offence under [F6subsection (1)] committed within his district, and any costs incurred by the superintendent registrar in prosecuting such a person, being costs which are not otherwise provided for, shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament.
(6)No prosecution under subsection (3) of this section shall be commenced after the expiration of three years from the commission of the offence.
Textual Amendments
F1Words substituted by virtue of Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), ss. 38, 46
F2S. 76(2) omitted (1.8.2021) by virtue of The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(10)(b), Sch. 1 para. 45(2) (with Sch. 2)
F3Words in s. 76(4) omitted (1.8.2021) by virtue of The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(10)(b), Sch. 1 para. 45(3)(a) (with Sch. 2)
F4Words in s. 76(4)(a) omitted (1.8.2021) by virtue of The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(10)(b), Sch. 1 para. 45(3)(b) (with Sch. 2)
F5S. 76(4)(b) and word omitted (1.8.2021) by virtue of The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(10)(b), Sch. 1 para. 45(3)(c) (with Sch. 2)
F6Words in s. 76(5) substituted (1.8.2021) by The Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), reg. 1(10)(b), Sch. 1 para. 45(4) (with Sch. 2)
Marginal Citations
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Act
PrintThe Whole Part
PrintThis Section only
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
Point in Time: This becomes available after navigating to view revised legislation as it stood at a certain point in time via Advanced Features > Show Timeline of Changes or via a point in time advanced search.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.