Applying for a spouse visa, registering your marriage abroad, or proving your relationship in another country? A UK marriage certificate usually needs an apostille first.
A UK marriage certificate is a paper document issued by the General Register Office (GRO) or a local register office. When you present it overseas — for immigration, citizenship, a name change, or spousal benefits — the receiving authority can't verify its authenticity on their own. An apostille from the FCDO solves this by officially confirming the certificate is genuine.
Because marriage certificates are paper GRO documents, they require a paper apostille applied to the original (or a certified replacement copy).
You'll need to order a certified replacement from the GRO before it can be apostilled. We can guide you through this.