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Marriage

Asked by Mr Richard HoldenConservativeMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 23 March 2026UIN 121406

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy not to recognise overseas marriages that would be illegal under UK law.

Answered by Jake Richards

There are no plans to change the law that an overseas marriage is normally recognised in England and Wales if it complied with the requirements for the form of the ceremony where it took place (meaning by whom, where, when and how it was conducted) and if both parties had capacity to marry according to the law of their domicile.

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