To apply for a licence, the venue must be:
- a permanent structure
- open to the public
- non-religious
Ceremonies must take place in a designated ceremony room, not outside or in a temporary structure.
Licence terms and cost
The licence costs a non-refundable £1,800 and lasts for 3 years.
If you are applying for your first licence you can organise an informal information visit by a Senior Registrar for £75. This will enable the registrar to give you advice guidance on the approval requirements. The £75 fee will be removed from the cost of the licence if you decide to apply for it.
Information to submit
Your application must include:
- a completed application form
- 3 copies of your most recent Fire and Safety Risk Assessment
- 3 copies of plans of your premises (scaled 1:200)
- a cheque made payable to 'Suffolk County Council'
- a seating plan to show the number of seats and their positions within each room
- any other documents required in the application form
Before you apply
You should read the guidance notes before completing your application:
- Application Guidance Notes (PDF, 178KB)
- Annex A (PDF, 81KB)
- Annex B (PDF, 159KB)
- Annex C (PDF, 11KB)
Religious buildings
Religious buildings that want a license for marriages should contact their local register office.
Religious buildings can obtain a licence for civil partnerships by contacting the Licensing Officer, Lynn Flack on 01473 264 380 (open Tuesday to Thursday) or by email at lynn.flack@suffolk.gov.uk.
After you apply
Once we will receive your application we will:
- issue you with a receipt
- make an appointment to inspect the premises
- ask Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service to comment on your application
- ask your local district or borough council to comment on your application
We will also place a notice in the local newspaper for your area with details of the application, stating a place where the plans can be inspected and notifying the public that they have 21 days to object to the application.
The time taken to process an application varies. We suggest you allow a minimum of 3 months.
Further information
If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Flack:
- Telephone: 01473 264380
- Email: lynn.flack@suffolk.gov.uk