Certification of Premises
Certification and registration of Religious Buildings for Worship and Marriage
A building must be certified as a place of worship if it is to be registered for the solemnisation of marriages. If the building is not already certified the two applications can be made at the same time.
To apply for a building to be certified as a place of worship
You will need to complete two copies of Form 76. These can be downloaded at the right of this page or obtained from the Superintendent Registrar at Gateshead Register Office. The forms can be signed by any person who can represent the congregation. When they are filled in you should return them to the Superintendent Registrar with;
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A floor plan of the building which must show all the rooms, doorways, floors and staircases. This does not need to be professionally drawn or to scale.
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An average weekly timetable of religious and any activities that take place at the building. This must include any activities not run by the congregation.
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The current fee can be found on the Fees and Charges page
To apply for a building to be registered for the solemnisation of marriages
You will need to complete two copies of Form 78. These can be downloaded at the right of this page or obtained from the Superintendent Registrar at the Gateshead Register Office. These must be signed by twenty householders who regard the building as their usual place of worship. A householder is any person who resides at an address and has either sole or joint responsibility for that household. The form must also be countersigned by a trustee of, or the proprietor of, the actual building.
The current fee can be found in the Fees and Charges page. This should be returned to the Superintendent Register along with the completed forms.
A leaflet is available on The General Register Office website, www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/marriages|, which provides further information about the process.