Applications for Special Marriage Licences in the Isle of Man

Guidance Notes

The Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man has a discretion to allow marriages according to the rites of the Church of England to take place in circumstances other than those otherwise allowed by law.

If you wish to be married in the parish church of the parish in which at least one of you lives, you should contact your Rector or Vicar who can explain the options, which will be either after Banns or by Common Licence. You will not need a special licence. The same applies if at least one of you lives in one of the following parishes and you wish to be married in a licensed chapel in that parish:

Otherwise you will need a special licence, obtainable through the Diocesan Registrar, whose address is —

Diocesan Registrar
Sodor and Man Diocesan Registry
First floor
5 Parliament Square
Castletown
IM9 1LA

The procedure is as follows. Note: The forms referred to may be downloaded in PDF format (requires Adobe Reader): click on the relevant form number below. Alternatively they may be obtained from the Diocesan Registrar at castletown@manx.net or by post at the above address.

1. If you both live in the Isle of Man, you will need to complete Form SL1, and the clergyman you would like to conduct the wedding needs to complete Form SL2. You should then send both forms to the Diocesan Registrar at the above address, together with a cheque for the prescribed fee which is currently £225, payable to the Diocesan Registrar.

2. If one or both of you lives outside the Isle of Man, you will need to complete Form SL1, the clergyman you would like to conduct the wedding needs to complete Form SL2, and someone needs to complete Form SL3 to say you are free to marry; this can be either a clergyman of the Church of England who would have the power to marry you if you wanted to marry in his church, a Notary Public or a British Consul. You should then send all three forms to the Diocesan Registrar at the above address, together with a cheque for the prescribed fee which is currently £225, payable to the Diocesan Registrar.

3. The Lord Bishop will then consider your application. If he refuses to grant it, there is no appeal but your fee will be refunded. If he grants it, you will be notified by the Diocesan Registrar.

4. You will then need to swear an Oath confirming what you have said in the application. This can be done before any of the following:

In the Isle of Man:

the Diocesan Registrar

the Deputy Diocesan Registrar

the Archdeacon

the Lord Bishop

a Notary Public

a Commissioner for Oaths

a Justice of the Peace

Elsewhere in the British Isles:

a Notary Public

a Solicitor empowered to administer oaths

Outside the British Isles:

a British Consul

a Notary Public

Please note that some of these may charge fees for taking the oath; this will be your responsibiity to settle. Where oaths are sworn outside the Island, the sworn oath must be returned to the Diocesan Registrar by the person who has administered it on his headed writing paper, not by the applicants.

5. Once the sworn Oath has been received by the Diocesan Registrar he will send the Licence to the clergyman who is to conduct the wedding, who will keep it in his custody until the wedding. After the wedding he will return it to the Diocesan Registrar endorsed "marriage solemnised", dated and signed.

Please note that unless one of the parties is seriously ill, applications must be received at least one month before the date proposed for the wedding.

J D R Kewley
Diocesan Registrar
By command of the Lord Bishop
4th September 2007