Who can marry whom? Family Law in 2009

In the United Kingdom (2009), the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, section 11 sets out which marriages are void:

• marriages between people within the prohibited degrees of relationship (e.g. a brother and a sister);
• either of the parties is under 16;
• either of the parties is married to someone else. If they were previously married but the marriage has ended through death or divorce, they are free to marry;
• the parties are of the same sex.

In a matter of few years, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act came into force in July 2013, but it was not until 13 March 2014 that couples were able to register their intention to marry under the Act for the first time.

Civil partnerships were introduced in England and Wales in 2005 to provide gay couples with the same legal rights as heterosexual partners, but campaigners continued fighting to have their marriages recognised by law.

You can get married or form a civil partnership in the UK if you’re:

16 or over
free to marry or form a civil partnership (single, divorced or widowed)
not closely related
You need permission from your parents or guardians if you’re under 18 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Only same sex couples can form a civil partnership.