Aberdeenshire Council’s Registration Service

Aberdeenshire’s non-statutory registration fees were last reviewed in 2017, with a planned review in 2020 postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In line with Aberdeenshire Council’s Charging Policy, our ceremony fees are subject to annual inflationary increases, with a full review required every three years. This Policy is intended to ensure that the fees we charge for this valued service not only cover the cost of provision, but also remain fair and reasonable in a commercial context.

Services include civil marriage, civil partnership and the renewal of marriage vows, as well as baby naming and private citizenship ceremonies. Ceremonies can be held on any day and in any location within Aberdeenshire, tailoring events to the wishes of the couples and individuals concerned. 

Statutory fees apply for the provision of small civil marriage and civil partnership ceremonies held on a weekday in a council ceremony room with no more than eight people present. Councils have discretion to set fees for all other ceremonies that go beyond the statutory minimum. 

The income generated offsets the cost of the registration of births, marriages and deaths, family history searches and ceremonial services.

The majority of Aberdeenshire’s current ceremony fees cover the cost of service provision but are generally lower than the national average, and significantly lower than those changed by local providers of similar ceremonial services. 

In setting our revised fees, we have conducted:

i) A re-assessment of the cost of providing ceremonial services in 2021/22

ii) Thorough national benchmarking

iii) Local benchmarking against providers of ‘non-religious’ marriage ceremonies.

With the above in mind, we know that the proposed increases keep our fees in line with national averages, while remaining more affordable than the majority of other providers of non-religious ceremonies.

The results of the consultation will be brought before the council’s Business Services Committee in November and, if approved, any changes to fees would take effect from 1st of January.  

Aberdeenshire Council’s Charging Policy makes clear that any proposal to increase fees must be subject to public consultation. We value your views and would appreciate it if you could take the time to provide answers to the questions below.

If you require more information on this consultation or require information in another format please contact registrars@aberdeenshire.gov.uk