Marriage and Civil Status (Forms, Registration and Fees) Order: Proposed Amendments

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A decision made 13 March 2012:

Decision Reference: MD-HA-2012-0022
Decision Summary Title :	Amendments to the details of procedures involved in arranging and celebrating a wedding		Date of Decision Summary:	8 March 2012
Decision Summary Author:	Executive Officer Home Affairs		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	n/a
Written Report Title :	Amendments to the details of procedures involved in arranging and celebrating a wedding		Date of Written Report:	28 February 2012
Written Report Author:	Superintendent Registrar		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Amendments to the details of procedures involved in arranging and celebrating a wedding.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the proposed amendments to the custom and practice of the Office of the Superintendent Registrar, as detailed in the accompanying report.
Reason(s) for Decision: The amendments will modernise practice in the Office of the Superintendent Registrar when arranging weddings. It is desirable to standardise the words used under both the Civil Partnership (Jersey) Law 2012 and the Marriage and Civil Status (Jersey) Law 2001 to describe people and their condition or status As a woman never loses her maiden surname in Jersey, it is appropriate that if a divorced or widowed woman is seeking to remarry or enter into a civil partnership, she should be able to be named, in documents used by the Register Office, with her maiden surname if that is the name that she chooses to use Although the Law states that a couple should sign the marriage documents, couples are required to write their full names clearly thereon. An amendment to the Marriage and Civil Status (Forms, Registration and Fees) Order would add the words ‘sign and print name’ to ensure that couples sign the documents.
Resource Implications: There are no resource implications arising from this decision.
Action required: The Superintendent Registrar to implement the changes to custom and practice and to liaise with the Law Draftsman’s Office over changes to the Civil Status (Forms, Registration and Fees) Order.
Signature:		Position: Minister for Home Affairs
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):