Registering a venue for worship, marriage and civil ceremonies

Advice on certifying buildings for use for worship, marriage and other civil ceremonies.

Registering buildings for worship

You can apply to have your building certified as a place of worship.

The person who acts as 'minister' must:

  • complete two copies of form 76
  • include a floor plan showing the rooms used for worship
  • state the times when the building will be used for worship
  • include a cheque or postal order made payable to Doncaster MBC for statutory £28 charge

We will then send the information to the General Register Office (GRO) for approval. If your application is successful, we will write to let you know and will advertise the building as a place of worship in the local newspaper.

Form 76
Download (89KB)

Registering a place of worship for marriage ceremonies

If you would like to apply to make a place of worship somewhere where marriages can take place, you should:

  • complete two copies of form 78
  • get 20 people who normally worship at the building and want it to become a venue for marriages to sign the form
  • include a cheque made payable to Doncaster MBC or debit/credit card payment for £123
Form 78
Download (97KB)

Registering a place of worship for same sex ceremonies

For a building previously registered for marriages to apply to marry people of the same sex, you will need:

  • two copies of a completed form 78a 
  • two copies of a declaration of consent from the relevant governing body
  • include a cheque made payable to Doncaster MBC or debit/credit card payment for £64
Form 78a
Download (91KB)

Notification of disuse of a place of worship

If a place of worship becomes unused, a form 77 needs to be completed. This also applies if a new congregation takes over. The building then needs to be re-registered as a new place of worship.

Form 77
Download (94KB)

If the building is demolished and then rebuilt, no re-registration is required.

For further information, please contact us: 

  • tel: 01302 735222
  • address: The Register Office, The Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU
Last updated: 05 December 2023 08:51:32

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