Legal Weddings FAQs
17. Does my Nikah count as a legally binding wedding ceremony?
A Nikah ceremony on its own is not a legally binding wedding. Aa additional legally binding ceremony would be needed.
This could happen at the same time as the Nikah, by taking place at a mosque which is a registered place of worship AND registered for legally binding wedding ceremonies. You would also require an authorised person or Registrar to be present.
Alternatively, you could have an entirely separate civil ceremony. In both cases, you must ‘give notice’ at your local Register Office.
18. If an Imam conducts my Nikah, can they also perform the legally binding ceremony?
An Imam can conduct a legally binding wedding if they are an ‘authorised person’. An authorised person must be registered with the Registrar General.
An Imam of a mosque where a legally binding wedding ceremony can legally take place could be certified as an authorised person to conduct legal weddings. In this case, they can conduct both your Nikah and your legally binding wedding ceremony.
If you want a particular person to conduct your ceremony, you should confirm with them whether they are an authorised person. If you have any concerns, it is also advisable to check with your local authority or register office.
If they are not authorised, you will have to arrange a separate civil ceremony for the marriage to be legally valid or arrange to have a registrar present if the venue is a place of worship registered for legally binding weddings.
19. If I am the Imam of a mosque and want my mosque to be registered to perform legally binding weddings, what do I do?
First, your mosque should be certified as a building for religious worship and then registered for the solemnization of marriage. You can do this using Form 78L. Further details can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/certifying-a-building-for-worship-and-marriage-version-3-sept-2012/how-to-certify-a-building-for-religious-worship-and-register-for-the-solemnisation-of-marriages-form-78l-accessible.