Most Armed Forces Chapels (AFCs) are already registered for the marriage of opposite sex couples. Ten years ago, legislation was introduced that allowed churches, including AFCs, to be registered for the marriage of same sex couples. But to date, only two AFCs in England and Wales are registered for this.

As part of a recent policy change, the responsibility for registering AFCs for marriage has been delegated from the SofS to the Director of Armed Forces People Policy. It is hoped that this will create a quicker and more streamlined process for registering an AFC for same sex couples’ marriage. 

All Service personnel and serving members of the Reserve forces, as well as close family members and veterans, who wish to marry in an AFC that is not yet registered can benefit from this change.

By streamlining this process, Defence is supporting its same sex couples to register appropriate AFCs for marriage, providing more opportunities to marry in an AFC of their choice.