Births, deaths, marriages fees rise from 6 April 2026

If you are planning a spring wedding, registering a birth, arranging a civil partnership or ordering a certificate, there is a change you should know about. The Home Office has signed off new statutory fees for England and Wales that take effect on Monday 6 April 2026. The rules are set out in the Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Fees) (Amendment and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026, made on 5 March and laid before Parliament on 9 March. These adjust the legal price list used by register offices and the General Register Office.

The update works by amending the 2016 Fees Regulations. In plain terms, a wide set of national fees move up by roughly a tenth. You can see that in the legal schedule: examples include increases from £32.00 to £35.50, £42.00 to £46.50, £57.00 to £63.00 and £82.00 to £90.50. Smaller items also edge up, such as £4.00 to £4.50, £18.00 to £20.00 and £2.50 to £3.00. These are the statutory elements: the parts of a service that are fixed nationally rather than set locally.

There is one figure many couples will spot on their paperwork. The portion of certain ceremony fees that a register office must pass to the Registrar General rises from £44.00 to £48.00. You do not pay this separately; it is a behind‑the‑scenes share within the total you are quoted. Local ceremony prices can still vary by council and venue, but the statutory components inside those totals are what this regulation changes.

Who pays what depends on the service you need. If you are giving notice to marry or to form a civil partnership, the notice appointment has a nationally set fee and that statutory figure is uprated by the new regulations. If you are asking registrars to attend a ceremony at a register office or an approved venue, the statutory attendance element increases as listed in the schedule, while any extra local charges for rooms, days or times remain set by your council. If you order certified copies of entries-commonly called certificates-the national fees listed in law also rise, with priority services costed higher than standard turnarounds.

A quick way to read your own situation is to separate what is statutory from what is local. Statutory fees are written into legislation and now change on 6 April 2026; local fees-for example, a venue hire or an out‑of‑hours supplement-are set by councils and can change on their own timetable. Your receipt or booking letter often shows both, so you can see which bit is being uprated by this legal change and which bit is a local price.

Transitional rules matter if you are already in the system. The law says that if you apply for or request a service before 6 April 2026, you pay the amount that was in force immediately before that date, even if the service is delivered afterwards. Think of it as a price guarantee tied to the date you submit a valid application or request. If you have already paid a relevant fee at the old rate, there is no top‑up to the new amount.

Let’s make that concrete. If you booked and completed your notice appointment on Friday 4 April, the old statutory notice fee applies to that appointment. If you order a certificate on Saturday 5 April, you are charged the old certificate fee even if it is posted to you after 6 April. If you have a ceremony on Sunday 12 April but your statutory elements were requested and invoiced before 6 April, those elements remain at the old rate. If you only make the request on or after Monday 6 April, the new figures apply.

There is a special transition for the Registrar General share. Where that part of a ceremony fee-the bit transmitted to the Registrar General-was already paid at the pre‑6 April rate, the new £48 figure does not retro‑apply. In short, if you have settled that portion already, you are not asked for the difference.

The Home Office explains in its note that the aim is to move services towards cost recovery from users rather than general taxation. That is why many individual lines in the legal schedule rise by a similar percentage. For you, the practical takeaway is to budget for a modest uplift across statutory items, then check any local extras with your council so there are no surprises.

If you want to check an exact number, look for your service name in the Schedule to the 2016 Fees Regulations and then match it to the new amount shown in the 2026 amending Regulations. Your register office will have the new statutory amounts and can confirm the local pieces that sit on top. Remember that Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate systems, so this change applies only in England and Wales.

For students, newlyweds‑to‑be and families, a simple planning tip helps. Book key statutory steps-such as notice appointments or certificate orders-before 6 April if you are ready to proceed and want the old rates. If you need to move dates around after you have applied, ask your register office how that affects the statutory fee you have already triggered and any local re‑booking charges. Keep every email and receipt; they are your proof of the date your application was made and which tariff applies.

The timeline is clear. Made on 5 March 2026, laid on 9 March and in force on 6 April, this is a national price list refresh for civil registration in England and Wales. If you are not sure whether your case counts as “applied for” before the change, ring your local register office and quote your reference. A two‑minute check now can save you money and stress later.

One last reassurance. None of this changes who can marry, form a civil partnership or register a birth or death, nor the legal steps you must follow. It simply adjusts the amounts charged for specific services. Knowing which parts are statutory and when the transition line falls will help you make confident, cost‑aware choices.