Statutory fees across civil registration in England and Wales will increase from 6 April 2026 under the Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Fees) (Amendment and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/233). The instrument was signed by Home Office minister Mike Tapp on 5 March 2026 and laid before Parliament on 9 March 2026.
The Regulations amend the Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Fees) Regulations 2016 and extend to England and Wales only. They revise multiple entries in Schedule 1 and update regulation 3A on the transmission of part of certain fees to the Registrar General. The Home Office states the changes move services towards cost recovery in line with government policy on public resources.
Notice-related fees rise. Entry in the marriage notice book increases to £46.50 where both parties are exempt persons and to £63.00 in all other cases, up from £42.00 and £57.00 respectively. Corresponding civil partnership declaration fees move to the same £46.50 and £63.00 levels.
Where notices must be taken away from the register office, attendance charges increase. For housebound applicants the superintendent registrar’s attendance fee rises from £57.00 to £63.00; for detained applicants it rises from £82.00 to £90.50. Equivalent civil partnership fees are uplifted to the same amounts.
Building registration charges increase for both opposite‑sex and same‑sex marriages. Where a building is already registered for the other form of marriage the fee rises from £71.00 to £78.50; where it is not, from £136.00 to £150.00. A joint application covering both categories also increases to £150.00.
The fee for applying to reduce the statutory 28‑day waiting period increases from £66.00 to £73.00. This applies across marriage and civil partnership processes.
Certificate and search items rise from low baselines. The statutory certificate issued at the time of registration increases from £4.00 to £4.50. General search fees increase from £18.00 to £20.00. Several small fixed charges set at £2.50 move to £3.00.
Conversion of a civil partnership into a marriage also increases. The standard conversion rises from £50.00 to £55.00; housebound from £109.00 to £120.00; detained from £129.00 to £142.00. For the two‑stage secular and religious routes the first‑stage fee rises from £30.00 to £33.00, and the second‑stage fee (where applicable) rises from £101.00 to £111.50. The special‑procedure conversion increases from £18.00 to £20.00.
Regulation 3A is amended so that the amount local registration authorities must transmit to the Registrar General under paragraph (2)(c) increases from £44.00 to £48.00. Finance teams should reflect this in remittance schedules from 6 April 2026.
Transitional provisions are explicit. Where a person applies for or requests a service before 6 April 2026, the pre‑6 April fee continues to apply for that service, including where delivery occurs later. Where a fee has already been paid at the previous rate, no top‑up is due. The amended £48.00 transmission amount does not retrospectively apply where the former amount has already been remitted.
Operationally, registration services, approved premises and places of worship should update public fee schedules, booking literature and websites for 6 April 2026. Point‑of‑sale and finance systems should be configured so that applications and requests made on or after 6 April are charged at the new rates, while pre‑6 April applications retain the old rates.
For users, the practical effect is an uplift of around 10% across most statutory items, with some small fixed fees rising by 50 pence. Couples and civil partners considering when to give notice or apply for a time‑limit reduction should note the date rule: applications made by 5 April 2026 are charged at the old rates; those made from 6 April 2026 use the new schedule. The instrument cites powers in the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855, the Marriage Act 1949 (section 71A), the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (sections 34 and 258(3)) and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (sections 9(4)(f) and 18(4)).