Locations for your civil ceremony
Belfast City Hall
You can have your civil ceremony in Belfast City Hall. We have several experienced Registrars and can accommodate up to six ceremonies each day. The room is available for viewing by appointment from Monday to Thursday, 9am to 9.30am, before ceremonies commence.
We offer a marriage or civil partnership where the couple have only the two legally required witnesses present. This is available at limited times and terms and conditions apply. Ask the Registrar for further advice.
If you decide to have your civil ceremony at City Hall, please contact the office by telephone or email and we can check our diary for availability. It is helpful if you could have a few dates in mind before you contact us. If you want a date within 12 months, we will hold this date for two weeks to allow you time to make an appointment to submit your marriage forms.
Weekday ceremonies may be:
- Monday: 10am, 11am, 12 noon, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm
- Tuesday to Thursday: 10am, 11am, 12 noon, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm
- Friday: 10am, 11am, 12 noon, 2pm and 3pm
- Saturday: 12 noon, 1pm and 2pm
Due to City Hall functions and events, we cannot guarantee which room you will be given on the day of your ceremony.
From time to time, events occur in City Hall which are out of our control. This may affect the use of certain areas.
Civil ceremonies at approved venues
We own several approved venues including Belfast Castle, Malone House, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall.
Registrars can visit all these venues to perform civil ceremonies.
Other approved venues include hotels, restaurants and similar public places.
Ceremonies at venues can take place at 12 noon or 3pm, Monday to Saturday.
When you check availability with an approved venue, you should also check the availability of the Registrar. It is advisable not to pay any deposit to the venue until you’ve confirmed that a Registrar is available. When you have done this, you must follow the procedure for giving notice (see page 6). The approved venue will give you an AP1 form, which has three parts. Please bring all parts to the Registration Office.
Fees for a ceremony at an approved venue are different to those at Belfast City Hall.
Go to www.belfastcity.gov.uk/approvedbelfastvenues for details of approved venues and fees, or ask
one of our Registrars.
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