S T A T U T O R Y  I N S T R U M E N T S  
2021 No. 538 
MARRIAGE, ENGLAND AND WALES 
The Marriage (Keeping of Records in Churches and Chapels) 
Regulations 2021 
Made - - - - 29th April 2021 
Coming into force - - 4th May 2021 
The Registrar General makes these Regulations with the approval of the Secretary of State in 
exercise of the powers conferred by section 74(1)(c )(v), (1A)(a) and (3) of the Marriage Act 
1949( a). 
Citation, commencement, extent and interpretation 
1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Marriage  (Keeping of Records in Churches and 
Chapels) Regulations 2021. 
(2)  These Regulations come into force on 4th May 2021. 
(3)  These Regulations extend to England and Wales. 
(4)  In these Regulations, “chapel” does not include a c hapel to which Part 5 of the Marriage Act 
1949 (marriages in naval, military and air force chapels) applies( b). 
Duty of parochial church councils to provide registers of marriage services 
2. —(1) The parochial church council of a parish must provide books for the purpose of making 
records under regulation 3 to each church and chapel of the Church of England(c) in that parish in 
which banns of matrimony may be published. 
(2)  Books provided under paragraph (1) are to be known as “registers of marriage services”. 
(3)  A register of marriage services provided under para graph (1) must meet the requirements of 
paragraphs (4) and (5). 
(4)  The register must be made of durable material. 
(5)  For the purposes of enabling a record to be made in the register under regulation 3 in respect 
of a marriage, the register must be printed in such a way that it— 
                                                                                                                                            
(a) 1949 c. 76 (12 & 13 Geo 6). Section 74 was amende d by Schedule 2 to the Registration Service Act 195 3 (c. 37) and by 
paragraph 5(1)(d) of Schedule 2 to the Transfer of Functions (Registration) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/678)  and subsequently 
renumbered as section 74(1) by article 12 of the Re gistration of Marriages etc. (Electronic Communications and Electronic 
Storage) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/2821). Section 74(1)  was amended by paragraph 19 of Schedule 15 to the Immigration Act 
2016 (c. 19) and paragraph 43 of Schedule 1 to the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/411), which also 
inserted subsection (1A). 
(b) See section 68(2) of the Marriage Act 1949. The c ertification function of the Admiralty under that section was transferred to 
the Secretary of State by the Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964 (c. 15). 
(c) Section 78(2) of the Marriage Act 1949 provides f or references to the Church of England to be constr ued as including 
references to the Church in Wales.