Changes to the Law
What is new?
On Monday 27th February 2023, The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, came into effect.
What is this?
This Act has raised the age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 in England and Wales.
Before this Act came into force, people could get married at the age of 16 and 17, so long as they had parental consent. The law has now changed and the legal limit has been raised to 18, in the hope that this will protect children from forced marriage.
Under this Act, if a child under the age of 18 were to marry, they would not face punishment, however the adults facilitating the marriage could face up to 7 years in jail and a fine.
This punishment would also be enforceable on adults who take children abroad to be married.
The new law also applies to cultural or religious marriages which are not registered with the local council.
If you have a family matter you would like to discuss in further detail, please call 01274 861096 or 01423 637272 to book in for your free half an hour consultation.