Registering a Building for Religious Worship

If a congregation is using a building for religious worship and would like their building to be certified as a place of worship by the Registrar General, this can be done through the local Superintendent Registrar. 

The Superintendent Registrar will supply forms to be completed by a Minister or other supervisor of the place of worship. These are returned to the Superintendent Registrar along with a rough plan of the building, an average weekly timetable of the uses of the building and a statutory fee, currently £28.00.

Please note that this does not apply to churches or chapels of the Church of England, unless it shares a church building with another religious denomination.

For further details, please contact your local Superintendent Registrar.

Registering a Building for the Solemnisation of Marriages

Once a building is registered as a certified place of religious worship, it may also be registered for the solemnisation of marriages. An application for registration should be made by the proprietor or trustee of the building through the local Superintendent Registrar.  Jewish synagogues and meeting houses of the Society of Friends do not need to be registered for marriages.

The Superintendent Registrar will supply the appropriate forms.  These are to confirm that the building has already been certified for worship and have to be signed by at least 20 separate householders (who are members of the congregation) and countersigned by the proprietor or trustee. There are particular signatories required in certain cases, and other conditions of application, but the Superintendent Registrar can assist with each application. There is also a fee for the certification, currently £120.00.

Details of the registration are published in a newspaper circulating in that building's area.

For further details, please contact your local Superintendent Registrar.

Cancellation of Registration of a Building for Worship or Solemnisation of Marriages

If a certified building has ceased to be used by the original congregation as a place of worship, the owner or trustees of the building should inform the local Superintendent Registrar immediately so that the registration can be cancelled.

For further details, please contact your local Superintendent Registrar.