Raising the minimum age of marriage or civil partnerships in England and Wales

The Bill seeks to expand the existing criminal law on forced marriage to make it illegal for a person to arrange the marriage of a person under the age of 18 in England and Wales.

The Marriage And Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 aims to protect children from forced marriage. At the moment forced marriage is only an offence if the person uses a type of coercion or threats to force someone to get married. It can also be an offence if the person getting married lacks capacity to consent to marry under the Mental Capacity Act.

In short the Act will mean that all 16 to 17-year-olds will no longer be able to marry or enter a civil partnership. This will be strictly under any circumstances, including with parental or judicial consent.

The Act comes into force on the 26th of February 2023, when it will not be possible for anyone under 18 to marry or enter a civil partnership after this date.

If you require more information, you can access the full Act and find out more at the House of Commons Library through this link.