Legal background Marriage registration
The registration of marriages in England and Wales is principally governed by the Marriage Act 1949 and regulations made under it (the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2015 and Marriage (Authorised Persons) Regulations 1952). The Marriage (Registrar General’s Licence) Act 1970 provides an alternative procedure for marriages involving a person who is seriously ill and not expected to recover, and imports registration provisions from the 1949 Act. The Marriage of British Subjects (Facilities) Acts 1915 and 1916 provide for marriage preliminaries to be completed when one party is resident in England and Wales and the other is resident in certain Commonwealth countries.
	The Act will enable regulations, subject to the affirmative resolution procedure, to amend the Marriage Act 1949 and make consequential amendments to other enactments to provide for a new system for recording and storing marriage registration details.