Registering your marriage with the UK GRO

[JeremyR 8]

The British Embassy says that you can "deposit your US Marriage/Civil partnership certificate with the General Register’s Office in the United Kingdom" via the consulate in DC.

Has anyone ever done this? Is there really any purpose or point beyond what it says about the GRO subsequently being able to issue certified copies once the original is deposited? Surely if ever I need to prove my marital status in the UK, our marriage certificate is enough, whether the GRO knows about it or not?

I don't have any tax liabilities in Britain, or anything similar that may be affected by the change in my marital status...

Further, it says you must submit a copy of your spouse's passport ID page. What if your spouse doesn't have a passport?

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I'ver never heard of anyone doing this and I struggle to think of a reason why it would be needed

[English Muffin 59]

I've never heard of anyone doing it either.

[JeremyR 8]

I struggle to think of a reason why it would be needed

Which pretty much mirrors my thoughts. I just stumbled over that and thought that I know some countries like to know what their citizens are doing overseas but it's none of their bloody business

[Talyss 0]

I have been married before, got married in St Lucia. Couldn't think for a moment why I would want to do this at all, till I needed a copy of the marriage certificate for my visa interview to demonstrate change of name, it was a very expensive nightmare getting a certified copy from St Lucia.

It maybe useful if you move to live in the UK then you will be able to get a certified copy more easily if you either lose the original or if like some pensions companies they want to keep the certified copy for their records. While you're in the US there probably isn't much point and its probably more applicable to women than men.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Never registered either marriage with the GRO -- the US marriage certificates always worked just fine when I needed proof of marriage in the UK.

Weird.

[Laura+Tom 2]

I think it's more designed for couples who live in the UK, have an overseas wedding, like in the Carribean, then return back to the UK.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I think it's more designed for couples who live in the UK, have an overseas wedding, like in the Carribean, then return back to the UK.

That's exactly what both of my weddings were -- lived in the UK, got married in the US, returned to the UK. Maybe if you're married in a jurisdiction where the certificate is hard to get, like in St Lucia for Talyss. Actually, I wish I'd known this before -- the number of times I had to ask my mother to go down to the Town Clerk in my hometown to ask for a copy of our certificate... I was forever losing them.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

It makes sense for British people getting married abroad...especially third world countries with bureaucracy