Marriage / civil ceremonies

Overview

To hold a civil ceremony or wedding at premises in South Tyneside, the premises must be approved by South Tyneside Council.

For a full list of approved wedding venues in South Tyneside, see ceremony venues.

Application for approval

Apply online

Application for approval of a religious premises as a venue for civil partnership

Application for approval of a secular premises as a venue for civil marriage and civil partnership

Apply by email

Marriage or civil ceremonies premises application form

Email your form to licensing@southtyneside.gov.uk.

Apply to change a licence

Apply to change a licence to use premises for civil marriage and civil partnerships

Eligibility criteria

You must be the proprietor or a trustee of the premises to apply for permission to hold civil ceremonies or weddings.

The application must be in writing (including by electronic means) and include:

The name and address of the applicant
Such other information as the council requires
A plan of the premises which clearly identifies the room or rooms in which the proceedings will occur

A fee may be payable.

Application evaluation process

Your premises will be inspected.

Your application and plan will be made available to the public for inspection and public notice of the application put in a local newspaper as part of a public consultation process.

To be granted your application must be in the correct format and your premises deemed suitable.

However, your application may still be refused if it is felt that there are too many approved premises in the area for the registrars to attend.

Conditions may be imposed to your approval.

The Registrar General may issue guidance to Councils to assist them in making their decision.

How long it will take to process your application

If your application is successful and we have received all of the necessary documentation, your application will be processed within three working days after the 21 day consultation period.

Tacit consent

Tacit consent is where an application is treated as accepted if a reply is not recieved within a certain timeframe.

Tacit consent cannot apply because the Council must carry out checks to make sure that the application complies with the qualifying conditions and the premises must be inspected.

The Council will advertise the application for a period of 21 days.

A successful application will be processed within three working days after the expiry of that period.

If you would like to check on the progress of your application, please contact contact the licensing team on 0191 424 7695 or by emailing licensing@southtyneside.gov.uk.

Make an appeal

Appealing a decision

Please contact South Tyneside Council in the first instance.

You have the right to seek a review of the Council's refusal to grant your application.

You must deliver your request for review to the proper officer of the council, accompanied by any requested fee.

Appealing a condition of the license

Please contact South Tyneside Council in the first instance.

You have the right to seek a review of the Council's imposition of conditions, refusal to renew or revocation of approval.

You must deliver your request for review to the proper officer of the Council, accompanied by any requested fee.

Other appeals

If you object to an application for premises approval you may give notice to the Council within 21 days of the notice of application appearing in the local newspaper.

If you have a complaint

If you have a complaint, we advise that you contact the trader, preferably in the form a letter (with proof of delivery).

If that has not worked, if you are located in the UK, Consumer Direct will give you advice.

From outside the UK, contact the UK European Consumer Centre.