Legal age for marriage increased to 18

The legal age of marriage in the UK is 18 as of 27 February 2023. Previously, people could get married at 16 or 17 with parental consent, but this has been changed to protect children from forced weddings.

The law was changed to stop vulnerable children being forced to wed by their parents or others. Activists have campaigned to close the “legal loophole” which allows under-18s to marry with parental or judicial consent, arguing that this can be exploited and that the child may not be able to protest. The new law also aims to protect children from non-registered marriages that are not legally recognised but may still have harmful consequences.