How to become an approved venue

The person who acts as 'minister', 'proprietor' or 'trustee' at the place of worship will need to send the following to the superintendent registrar at Brent Register Office:

• two completed copies of form 76
• a sketch of the floor plan identifying which rooms will be used for worship
• an average weekly timetable of how the building will be used to satisfy the Registrar General that the building is primarily used for religious worship, this has to include religious and non- religious events
• arrange for debit or credit card payment to cover the statutory fee of £29.

If you decide you would like your place of worship to become a building where marriages and or civil partnerships can take place, two copies of form 78 need to be completed as originals and:

• each form 78 must be signed by no more than one person from each of the addresses and in total must have 20 households (no more than one person from each household) who regard the building as their usual place of worship
• the forms must be countersigned by a trustee or proprietor of the building
• Order of the whole the ceremony including the words of declaration and contract which should be incorporated within the ceremony (these words should not be at the beginning or the end of the ceremony.
• you will also need to arrange a debit or credit card payment for the statutory fee of £123 (which covers the cost of the public notices – see below).

If you want the building be certified as a place of worship and registered for marriage and or civil partnership at the same time, forms 76 and 78 can be submitted together. However, the forms for registration of the building for marriage must not be dated before those for worship.

For further help, download the guidance notes to completing the form.

What happens next

Once we receive the information, we send it to the General Register Office (GRO) for authorisation. When the GRO certify a building for worship, it will be recorded in the list of places of meeting for religious worship maintained at the General Register and one of the forms 76 will returned to you.

When GRO register a building for marriage , the Superintendent Registrar is required to send a certificate of the registration to the proprietor or trustee who countersigned the householders’ certificates. Public notice of the registration must be advertised in a local newspaper and in the London Gazette.

The premises will be inspected for suitability, and any approval granted will be for a three year period, subject to revocation.

If the congregation stops using the building, there is a legal obligation to let the Registrar General know. You will need to complete form 77. It can be signed by any person who can represent the congregation.

If the building is demolished and re-built on the same foundations within a year and will be used by the same congregation, the certification and registration will not be affected.

Completed forms should be sent back to the Brent Registration Office.

Contact us directly, if you would like hard copies of the forms.

*Not applicable to reviews of approval revocations. The fee will be determined on application according to the costs involved

Please note:

• fees are non-returnable
• all fees must be paid in advance of premises approval or their renewal, and prior to ceremonies in the case of Registrars fees
• payment can be made by credit/debit card over the telephone or by cheque
• all fees must be accompanied by the application form and posted to the Head of Service Registration and Nationality(address detailed on the form).