§ Mr. Raceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what advice has been given by the Registrar General to local registry offices concerning suitable forms of proof of identity which must be produced in order to finalise a marriage;
141W(2) in what circumstances the production of a passport would be mandatory if an individual wished to prove his or her identity in order to obtain a marriage certificate through a local registry office.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergNormally no proofs of identity are requested, the particulars given to superintendent registrars being subject to the Perjury Acts. However, responsibility rests with the superintendent registrar that he should be satisfied there is no lawful impediment to a marriage and to this end he is advised that he may seek documentary evidence. Proof of age, and of the termination of any previous marriage, are the most common examples. He may also seek corroboration from a passport or similar document that the particulars he has been given in substantial agreement with it; such corroboration would become mandatory only if the superintendent registrar could not otherwise be satisfied as to the legality of the proposed marriage.