Minimum age for marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales given second reading
In England and Wales, the minimum age for marriage or civil partnership without parental or other third-party consent or judicial consent, is currently 18.
A second Reading of a Bill seeking to raise the minimum age for marriage and civil partnerships to 18 took place on 19 November 2021.
UNICEF considers that child marriage is a violation of human rights, with the Government previously saying it will support raising the age of marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales from 16 to 18 years, when an appropriate legislative vehicle becomes available.
The anticipated effect of this change on the common law will also mean that any marriages which take place overseas, or in Scotland or Northern Ireland, involving under 18s, where one of the parties is domiciled in England or Wales, will not be legally recognised in England and Wales.
In 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, 147 16 to 17-year-olds got married to a member of the opposite sex. This figure represents 0.06% of all marriages that took place in England and Wales in 2018.
This change to recognition will also apply to civil partnerships.