Overview & timeline for the application process
- Start by learning about the key responsibilities and statutory conditions. This includes reading the East Sussex Fire Regulation Service guidelines and understanding that the Fire Authority will carry out a fire inspection of the premises. See Statutory and local requirements.
- You will also need to confirm that no planning permission is necessary for the venue to hold marriage or civil partnership ceremonies on the premises. See Planning permission.
- You will need to have the necessary documents ready and the relevant contact details. For a complete list, see Before you apply.
- Complete and submit the application form.
After you submit your application:
- The licensing process can take 8 to 10 weeks. We will contact you within that time.
- You will provide us with text and images for the website listing.
- We will contact you to arrange a BACS payment of the fee.
- Couples cannot give legal notice for a marriage or civil partnership to take place at your venue until the licence has been approved by East Sussex Registration.
- We will publish a public notice of your application for 21 days. Current licence applications are open to objections during this period.
- The Proper Officer will consider any objections received during the 21-day period.
- A member of the team will visit the venue to complete a Risk Assessment on behalf of East Sussex County Council.
- A visit will be made to conduct a final inspection.
- Once the venue licence has been granted, the venue will be approved for 3 years.
- East Sussex County Council maintains an up-to-date register of approved licensed premises available for public inspection which includes:
- The name and full postal address of the Approved Premises
- The description of the licensed rooms/linked outdoor areas
- The name and address of the holder of the licence
- The issue date and expiry date of the licence
- The name and qualification of the responsible person(s)
- The Registrar General will include the following details of your licence on the Gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-marriages-and-partnerships-approved-premises-list:
- Venue name, address, telephone number
- Licence expiry date
- You will display the licence in a prominent position in the venue.
- You can now start advertising your business.
- You will direct couples to book their Registrars by going to our website, Ceremonies in East Sussex.
