Everything the Registry of Marriages needs from you, worked out for your date and your situation. Type a date and the 21-day and 6-month rules become real deadlines; pick your statuses and the fee is one number. Statistics are from the Department of Statistics’ 2025 release.
What ROM is, and why it comes first
ROM is the Registry of Marriages, the government registry that makes a civil marriage legal in Singapore. Every civil marriage, whether the ceremony is at ROM or a hotel ballroom, starts with an application filed through the Our Marriage Journey portal and ends with a licensed solemniser registering the marriage. Muslim marriages go through the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) and follow different rules; this guide covers the civil route.
After filing, you choose a ceremony at ROM itself or a solemniser coming to a venue of your choice. The legal part takes about 15 to 30 minutes either way.
Pick your date; the deadlines follow
Two rules set your window. Solemnisation must be at least 21 days after you apply, and the application is valid for 6 months, so the ceremony must fall within 6 months of the application date. Enter the date you want and the planner does the counting.
What it costs
The application fee depends on residency, not on where you hold the ceremony. A Special Marriage Licence is a separate application for couples who need the 21-day notice waived, where a party is under 18, or where the relationship is otherwise restricted; ROM prices it separately.
Who can marry, and what to bring
Both of you must be 21 or older to marry on your own authority. A partner aged 18 to 20 who has not been married before needs a parent or legal guardian’s consent and must attend a Marriage Preparation Programme run by an MSF-approved organisation. Under 18 needs consent and a Special Marriage Licence. Neither of you can be currently married. At least one of you must have been physically present in Singapore for 31 continuous days before applying, not counting the arrival day; a citizen or PR partner living here meets this on their own. Answer the questions and the document list adjusts.
The ROM process, step by step
Check the date against the two rules
At least 21 days after you apply, and within the application’s 6-month validity. The planner above gives you the window.
Apply online
File a joint application on the Our Marriage Journey portal with Singpass, enter both partners’ and both witnesses’ particulars, and pay by card. If you want a ceremony at ROM, you book the slot in the same application and ROM assigns the solemniser.
For an external venue, find your solemniser
Search the licensed solemniser list, contact one, and have them confirm the booking on the portal. Solemnisers are volunteers.
Upload documents and make the statutory declaration
You declare there is no legal bar to the marriage. Couples who are both 21 or older, both marrying for the first time, applied jointly with Singpass and set the ceremony at least 21 days out can declare online. Others declare in person at ROM or by video link; a citizen marrying a non-resident declares in person.
Verification
ROM checks the uploaded originals: NRIC or passport for both partners and both witnesses, plus any divorce or death certificate. Missing or untranslated documents are the usual reason an appointment is rescheduled.
Solemnise
The solemniser confirms identities, you exchange vows (your own or the standard wording), and the solemniser registers the marriage online. Solemnisation by video link exists only for exceptional cases, on special request.
Receive the digital certificate
Once the solemniser registers the marriage, ROM emails a password-protected PDF. That digital certificate is the official one for HDB, CPF nominations, banks and employers. A duplicate or extract costs S$50.
Who is marrying, in 2025
You are one of roughly 25,000 couples a year. The Department of Statistics publishes who they are each July; this is the latest release. Enter your ages to see where you sit.
Marriages registered per year, civil and Muslim combined. 2021–2022 include ceremonies postponed from 2020. Full charts, divorces and cohort survival on the Singapore marriages data page.
Ceremony at ROM or somewhere else
At the Registry
- Slot booked in your application; solemniser assigned by ROM
- No venue cost; a small room, so guest numbers are limited
- Short, fixed-format ceremony
- Same fee, same legal weight
External venue
- Any venue: home, garden, restaurant, hotel
- You find and book the solemniser and set the time
- Venue costs on top; see the solemnisation venues guide
- Same fee, same legal weight
Special situations
Marrying a foreigner
If one of you is a citizen or PR living in Singapore, the 31-day presence rule is already met by that partner. Your declaration will be in person at ROM rather than online. Bring the foreign partner’s passport; documents in another language need a certified English translation. Some countries require their nationals to obtain a certificate of no impediment before marrying abroad; check with the embassy.
Work Permit holders
A Work Permit holder, or former holder, needs the Ministry of Manpower’s approval to marry a Singapore citizen or PR. Apply to MOM before filing with ROM; allow several weeks.
Previously married
Upload the death certificate of the late spouse, or the Certificate of Making Interim Judgment Final (formerly Decree Nisi Absolute). A foreign divorce may need additional documentation.
Questions couples ask
How long does the whole process take?
At least 21 days from application to ceremony. Most couples take one to three months to line up documents, a solemniser and a slot.
Can we ROM at home?
Yes. Any address works as an external venue as long as a licensed solemniser agrees to come.
Can we change the date after applying?
Yes. Changing solemnisation details costs S$25, as long as the new date still falls within the 21-day and 6-month rules of the original application.
Do we get the certificate on the day?
You receive a digital certificate by email after the solemniser registers the marriage online, usually the same day. The PDF is the official certificate; duplicates or extracts are S$50.
Do we need the certificate for an HDB flat?
Yes, for a flat bought under the Fiancé/Fiancée Scheme you must produce it within the period HDB sets, typically three months after key collection.
Can the declaration be done online or by video?
Online if you are both 21 or older, both marrying for the first time, applied jointly with Singpass and the ceremony is at least 21 days after applying. Otherwise in person at ROM or by video link. A citizen marrying a non-resident declares in person.
What if a document is not in English?
Provide a certified translation. Uncertified translations are the most common reason a verification appointment is rescheduled.
How much do people give the solemniser?
Solemnisers are volunteers and there is no fee. Couples commonly give a red packet; the amount is up to you.
- Registry of Marriages, Overview of Marriage Process (Aug 2025): age rules, 31-day presence, 21-day notice and 6-month validity, declaration options, documents, digital certificate.
- Our Marriage Journey, What are the fees for the various ROM services?: S$42 / S$380 application, S$280 / S$380 Special Marriage Licence, S$25 change of solemnisation details, S$50 certificate extract.
- Registry of Marriages, Civil marriage process and 18 to below 21.
- Department of Statistics Singapore, Statistics on Marriages and Divorces 2025 and 2024.