What Is An M10 form? The Scottish Marriage form.
If you're getting married in Scotland, at some point you're going to run into the phrase “M10 form” and wonder what it actually is.
It's Scotland's marriage notice form and the document you each need to submit to give notice of your intention to marry (before the marriage can lawfully proceed) in Scotland! This applies to Elopements at Gretna Green to a simple civil ceremony in Edinburgh or even getting married by a minister in Aberdeen! The M10 is a base form for all of Scotland!
Though, that doesn't mean submissions, appointments, payment arrangements and evidence procedures are also universal as some registry offices may not accept some forms of ID compared to others so always check with the specific office that's handling your marriage than assuming every office has the same list of accepting rules and denials.
In terms of how it works for you, each partner has to do their own M10 form. There is no joint version. The completed forms, your fee, supporting documents, all go to the registrar for the district where the marriage is occurring and not your local legal office that you live next to.
This guide is to help translate the forum into plain english, not replace the NRS guides and the registrar handling your marriage. They are the actual authority on what's required and what's not, this is merely meant to help guide you through the M10 form without wanting to rip it apart and throw it across the room at every other interval.
where do you get an m10 form?
Download the M10 directly from NRS. The official M10 marriage notice form. It's a PDF: print it and complete it in pen, in block capitals, apart from your signature. There's a separate celebrant and witness details form, also on the NRS site, and you'll need it for whatever kind of ceremony you're having.
Get both from the current NRS registration hub rather than a saved PDF from a wedding forum or a copy a friend sent you a couple of years back as the NRS updates the form periodically, so an old saved copy may not match what's currently required. Some venues will hand you a copy when you book, which is convenient, but it's worth checking it matches the current one before you sit down with a pen.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SITE AND DOWNLOAD THAT
You’ll also want to download the guidance notes that come with it. They’re published alongside the form on the NRS site and walk through each section with numbered notes. This guide simplifies those notes, but having the official version to hand while you’re filling it out doesn’t hurt.
M10 Form at a Glance
Who completes it?
Each partner completes a separate M10. There's no joint form.
When do I send my form?
No earlier than three months before the ceremony, no later than 29 days before it. NRS recommends 10–12 weeks.
Where do I send it?
The registration office for the district where the marriage is taking place and not where either of you lives.
Current fee?
It currently costs £45 per person (£90 total), correct as of NRS's most recent update. Fees do change, so check the current figure on the NRS site before you pay anything.
What goes with it?
Supporting ID and residence documents, the separate celebrant and witness details form, and any case-specific evidence such as previous marriage, non-UK nationality, and so on. (More on this below)
Can you email it?
Some offices will accept an initial emailed copy to get things moving, but the original M10 forms and supporting documents still need to reach them before the ceremony in person and written pen/paper format. This does vary by office so confirm with the one handling your marriage.
What Each Section of the M10 Means
The form is double-sided and broken into lettered sections. It looks more intimidating than it is. Here’s what each section covers.
Section A - About the Proposed Marriage
This is where you put the date and place of the marriage. If you’re getting married at Gretna Green, the place is whatever venue you’ve booked. That could be the Famous Blacksmiths Shop, Gretna Hall, Smiths Hotel, etc. If you’re having a civil ceremony with a registrar, you’d write the specific venue name here. Be precise. Don’t just write “Gretna Green.” This is where most people mess up and delay their elopement.
Section B - About Yourself
Your name, occupation, whether you're retired, sex, marital or civil partnership status, date of birth, country of birth, country of residence, nationality, your usual residence, and how you'd like to be described on the marriage schedule (bride, bridegroom, groom, or no designation). If you've been divorced, tick “Divorced” rather than “Single” and this is important as your legal marital status has to be accurate, not just your current relationship status.
Section C - About Your Father/Parent
Parent on this form means the one on your birth entry, or your adoptive parent(s). It does not extend to step-parents, however involved they might have been in raising you. If you have same-sex parents, that's covered by the 2008 definition act and adoptive parents are the same way, but a step-parent doesn't map onto either C/D. If your family doesn't map cleanly onto either, speak to your registrar on which section takes which details.
In terms of what to write, its: Forename(s), the surname they were born with, their surname at the time you were born (if different), their surname now or at the time of their death (if different again), their occupation, whether they're retired, and whether they're still living.
Section D - About Your Mother/Parent
The same set of questions, for your other parent.
Section E - About Your Parents
This is a straightforward yes/no: were your parents married to each other, or registered as civil partners, at the time of your birth or afterwards? That's the whole section.
Section F - About the Celebrant
Only complete this if your marriage is being solemnised by an authorised celebrant rather than a registrar. This is someone who is legally authorised under the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 to conduct a religious or belief ceremony, such as a minister or an authorised humanist celebrant. For this section you simply give their name and the denomination or body they're attached to. This isn't the place for a symbolic celebrant conducting a non-legal ceremony.
If your legal marriage is happening separately with a registrar or another authorised celebrant, a symbolic add-on ceremony doesn't belong in Section F. If a registrar is conducting your legal ceremony, skip this section entirely.
Section G - About the Other Party
Your partner’s full name and usual address. Note: this is not a substitute for them filling out their own form. Both of you submit separate M10 forms. This section is just so the registrar can cross-reference the two.
Section H - Documents to Submit
A checklist confirming what you're sending alongside the form: your birth certificate, and depending on your situation evidence of a previous marriage or civil partnership ending, perhaps a death certificate, a certificate of no impediment, or proof of an existing civil partnership or marriage. You tick which apply and explain if something's missing. The next two sections go through exactly what's required.
Declaration
At the bottom, you sign and date the form. This is your legal declaration that everything you’ve written is true and that you’re free to marry. It has to be your original signature, not digital, not photocopied. Pen on paper.
what documents do you need to send with an m10 form?
Each of you sends your own M10 form with your own set of documents. Don’t bundle them together as one submission as the registrar needs to process them individually. Keeping each person’s documents together also makes it less likely anything will be lost or misfiled.
Both of you need to send: your original birth certificate (or adoption certificate if adopted), proof of your usual address such as a utility bill or bank statement dated within the last three months, and your passport if you were born after 1983. The birth certificate has to be the original one, an unauthorised photocopy won’t be accepted. An authorised copy is allowed (i.e if you've had to go back to reclaim one from the hospital, but photocopying that yourself is not allowed).
If You've Been Married or in a Civil Partnership Before
If you’ve been married before: include your decree absolute (for divorce) or the death certificate of your former spouse. A decree nisi is not accepted, it has to be the final, absolute decree. If you’ve been married more than once, you only need the document relating to the most recent marriage.
If you’re a foreign national: you may need a Certificate of No Impediment from your home country, confirming you’re legally free to marry. Check with the registrar if this applies to you.
If you're currently in an existing marriage or civil partnership that isn't recognised or registered in the UK such as a marriage from abroad you're now looking to have recognised or registered here then you'll need to provide the relevant marriage or civil partnership certificate as well.
One thing worth being precise about: a decree granted outside Scotland has to be final or absolute. A decree nisi or a conditional order won't be accepted. If you've been married or in a civil partnership more than once, official M10 completion guidance confirms you only need the document relating to the termination of your most recent marriage or civil partnership and that you don't need to dig out decrees from every previous one. If your history is unusual in some other way, it's still worth checking directly with the registrar rather than guessing.
If Either of You Is a Non-UK National
If either of you is not a UK national, then provide the following documents also along with your M10 Form
- The declaration of status by non-UK nationals form
- Any supporting immigration-status documents the registrar asks for
- If you've lived in the UK for two years or more then you may be asked to provide evidence of residence, such as a utility bill or bank statement, dated at least two years before you submit notice
- If you've lived in the UK for less than two years then you should provide a Certificate of No Impediment or your home nation's equivalent; if one can't be obtained, contact the registrar
- Certified English translations for anything not already in English
Where and How to Submit the Form
- Complete the M10 in pen, in block capitals, except for your signature.
- Contact the registration office for the district where the marriage will actually happen as that office controls the process. The NRS does not centrally.
- Follow their instructions for submitting your forms, documents and fee. Some offices accept an initial emailed copy to get things moving, but they still need the original M10 forms and supporting documents in hand before your ceremony.
If you're marrying at Gretna Green then the forms and documents go to Gretna Registration Office, Central Avenue, Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, DG16 5AQ but confirm the current submission process with them directly before you post anything, since individual offices run their own procedures alongside NRS's national guidance.
Sending it via recorded delivery is sensible practical advice, not a legal requirement. Losing your M10 in the post three weeks before the wedding isn't a problem worth risking to save on postage.
when should i submit my m10 form?
- Earliest: three months before the ceremony
- Recommended: 10 to 12 weeks before
- Legal minimum: the registrar must have both completed notices at least 29 days before the ceremony
Even if you don’t have all your documents ready, the NRS guidance says to send off the M10 form anyway to get the process started. You can follow up with the remaining documents separately, meaning if you're three months out, start sending it out and send the documents they need as you go along. It saves you from scurrying in those final 8 weeks.
common mistakes to avoid
- Only one partner submitting an M10. Both of you complete your own as Section G asks for your partner's details, which trips people into thinking one form covers both of you. It doesn't.
- Submitting right up against the 29-day minimum, leaving no room for the registrar to query anything.
- Filling in Section F when it doesn't apply. Only complete it if an authorised religious or belief celebrant is solemnising the marriage and not for a registrar-led ceremony, and not for a symbolic celebrant running a non-legal ceremony alongside it.
- Forgetting the separate celebrant and witness details form as it isn't part of the M10 itself.
- Assuming non-UK-national requirements are identical for everyone. They vary by residence length and immigration status.
- Sending copies or translations the registrar hasn't asked for or accepted.
- Signing before actually checking the form as it's a legal declaration, not a formality.
- Using an old saved copy of the form instead of the current NRS version.
what happens after you fill out an m10 form?
Once the registrar has both M10s and all supporting documents, they check everything and, provided there’s no legal impediment, prepare the marriage schedule.
If you're having a civil ceremony, the registrar brings the schedule with them on the day so you don't need to collect anything in advance.
If you're having a religious or belief ceremony, one of you collects the schedule from the registration office yourselves no more than seven days before the ceremony, and no less than 29 days after your notice was submitted. Your registrar will confirm the exact arrangements with you directly.
Immediately after the ceremony, both of you, your two witnesses, and the registrar or celebrant sign the schedule in permanent black fountain pen ink. The NRS is specific about this, so if your officiant hasn't got the right pen to hand, it's worth having one ready yourself. For a religious or belief ceremony, the signed schedule then has to go back to the registrar within three days. For Gretna Green, that means back to Gretna Registration Office on Central Avenue .
Still planning your elopement? Here's what's next to read.
Still working out the bigger picture? Read our complete Gretna Green elopement guide which covers venues, costs, travel, and what the day actually looks like here
Not sure about the ceremony type yet? Our civil vs religious ceremony guide covers everything you need to know before you book and helps you choose which one's right for you here
Unsure about a photographer? Read our Gretna Green photographer costs guide which goes into detail and lets you know how much to budget once the paperwork is sorted here
Still stuck on your venue? Read our Gretna Green Venue Guide to help you understand what each venue offers and what is best suited for your needs here
