In short
In Singapore, “doing ROM” means solemnising and registering your marriage with the Registry of Marriages (ROM), which handles civil marriages. You apply online through the Our Marriage Journey portal at marriage.gov.sg between six months and 21 days before your date, make a declaration, then solemnise with a licensed solemniser at a Registry site or at a venue of your choice.
- Apply online no earlier than six months and no later than 21 days before your solemnisation date; at least one of you needs Singpass
- The Registry’s application fee is SGD 42 if either of you is a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident, and SGD 380 if you are both foreigners
- You need two witnesses above 21, of any nationality
- The Registry has operated from a temporary site at The Esplanade Mall since 14 April 2025, while its Canning Rise building is redeveloped
- A ceremony at a Registry site takes about 10 minutes; one at your own venue takes about 15 to 30 minutes
- Your official certificate of marriage is digital and arrives by email
What ROM means, and how it differs from the wedding
ROM stands for the Registry of Marriages, which administers civil marriages under the Women’s Charter. In everyday Singapore usage, “our ROM” means the solemnisation itself: the short ceremony in which a licensed solemniser marries you in front of two witnesses. The solemnisation is what legally registers your marriage.
The wedding many families think of, with the gatecrash, tea ceremony and banquet, is a separate customary celebration. Some couples hold the ROM first and the wedding weeks or months later; others solemnise on the wedding day itself, at the hotel or venue before the banquet. Either way, it is the solemnisation, not the banquet, that makes the marriage official.
If you are both Muslim, your marriage is registered with the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) instead; see the section on Muslim marriages below.
Who can marry at ROM
According to the Registry, a civil marriage in Singapore is open to couples who meet these requirements:
- The marriage is between one man and one woman
- You are both at least 21 (there is a separate process if either of you is 18 to below 21, or below 18)
- At least one of you is non-Muslim
- Neither of you is currently married, and any previous marriage has been legally dissolved
- You are not closely related to each other under the Registry’s list of prohibited relationships
- At least one of you has Singpass, to submit the application online
Some couples need extra documents. Anyone who has been married before brings the relevant divorce, annulment or death papers, and a foreign partner who is a current or former work permit holder marrying a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident should check the Ministry of Manpower’s marriage approval rules early, as the Registry asks for MOM’s approval letter where it applies. If you are both foreigners, at least one of you must have been physically in Singapore for at least 31 continuous days, not counting the day of arrival, before the application can be submitted; the Registry explains how those days are counted. Our guide to getting married in Singapore from abroad covers this in more detail.
Step by step: from application to certificate
- Settle the date, time, venue and witnesses. Decide whether you will solemnise at a Registry site or at a venue of your choice, and choose your two witnesses.
- Book a solemniser if you are marrying at your own venue. You invite a licensed solemniser through the portal, ideally three to six months before the date. At a Registry site, the Registry provides one.
- Submit the online application and pay. The earliest you can submit is six months before your solemnisation date and the latest is 21 days before it; the 21-day notice is a legal requirement and gives time for any valid objection. A saved draft does not start the notice period, only a submitted and paid application does, and an application expires six calendar months after submission.
- Make your declaration. Before the ceremony you both complete document verification and a declaration under the Women’s Charter: fully online if you are both Singpass holders, single with no previous marriage and at least 21 (signing at least 10 days before the date), otherwise by video link if you are both citizens or permanent residents, or in person with a Registry officer.
- Solemnise. The ceremony can only go ahead once your application and declaration have been reviewed and a marriage licence has been issued.
- Receive your certificate. After the marriage is registered, your official certificate of marriage arrives by email as a digital document.
What ROM costs
The Registry’s application fee is SGD 42 if either of you is a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident, and SGD 380 if you are both foreigners, paid online when you submit. Changing the solemnisation details after submitting, such as the date, time, venue or witnesses, carries a fee of SGD 25 and can be done through the e-Service up to five days before your appointment with the Registry.
These are the fees listed on marriage.gov.sg in September 2026. Your venue, attire, rings, photography and any celebration afterwards are separate costs that depend on your plans; our own ROM coverage is listed on our pricing page.
Where you can solemnise
At a Registry site. The Registry runs solemnisations at two sites: the Registry of Marriages itself, which has operated from a temporary site at 8 Raffles Avenue, The Esplanade Mall, #03-03/04 since 14 April 2025 while its Canning Rise building is redeveloped (planned for 2025 to 2028), and the Ficus Room at Gardens by the Bay. Slots are first-come-first-served, can only be booked when you submit your application, and come with a solemniser provided by the Registry during its office hours. Saturday slots at the Registry were introduced from 17 May 2025. The Registry’s solemnisation room at The Esplanade holds up to 20 people, including the two of you and your witnesses, and photo and video-taking are permitted there.
At a venue of your choice. You can also marry at home, at a hotel or restaurant, or at an outdoor spot such as Mount Faber or the Botanic Gardens, on any day of the week including weekends and public holidays, as long as the date falls within the legal time frame. You invite your own licensed solemniser, and anything the venue requires, such as a booking or permit, is arranged with the venue.
By video link. Video-link solemnisation is reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as medical reasons, and needs the Registrar’s approval. At least one of you must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident, and everyone taking part must be physically in Singapore.
Choosing your witnesses
You need two witnesses. Anyone above 21 can be one, including family members and close friends of any nationality. Their details and a copy of their identification go into your application, and on the day they must be present and show their original NRIC or passport.
Many couples ask a sibling or a close friend each. Our guide to including your witnesses in ROM photos covers the photo side of that choice.
Finding a solemniser
Only licensed solemnisers can conduct and register a marriage in Singapore. They are volunteers, about 1,200 of them according to the Registry, and include religious leaders, Justices of the Peace and community leaders.
If you are marrying at your own venue, you search for and invite one through the portal, by name or by criteria such as language. The Registry suggests booking three to six months before the date, as solemnisers may not commit earlier. The solemniser must accept the invitation in the portal before your appointment with the Registry, and it helps to share your plan for the ceremony and confirm the exact start time with them early. At a Registry site, the Registry assigns the solemniser. Our guide to finding a solemniser in Singapore covers the invitation, timing and what to agree with them.
What happens on the day
At a Registry site, arrive 15 to 20 minutes early and register your arrival with the Registry officer outside the solemnisation room (at the Ficus Room, with the solemniser at the entrance), then wait to be called in. The solemniser checks the NRICs or passports of the two of you and your witnesses and asks for your verbal consent, and you exchange vows, and rings if you wish. You then sign the ceremonial certificate of marriage with the solemniser and your two witnesses, and are pronounced married. The ceremony takes about 10 minutes, and the marriage is registered the same day.
At your own venue, the steps are similar and take about 15 to 30 minutes. Exchanging rings and signing a ceremonial certificate are both optional. If you want the certificate, you download a template from your dashboard, print it on A4 paper of your choice and share a preview with the solemniser at least a day before. The solemniser registers the marriage through the portal after the ceremony, and the digital certificate arrives by email within a week.
What to wear. The solemniser may decline to proceed if attire is inappropriate for the occasion. The Registry describes proper attire as a shirt and pants or other formal wear for the groom, and a dress or other formal wear for the bride. Our guide on what to wear for ROM photos covers the photo side.
After the ceremony: your certificate
Since 25 September 2023, couples no longer have to sign a hardcopy certificate of marriage. Once the marriage is registered, you receive a digital certificate of marriage by email, which is your official proof of marriage. The ceremonial certificate, if you signed one, is a keepsake rather than the legal record.
Muslim marriages: ROMM, not ROM
If you are both Muslim, your marriage is registered with the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) rather than ROM. The Muslim marriage process also runs through the Our Marriage Journey portal at marriage.gov.sg, and the ceremony is the akad nikah, with its own structure, participants and requirements.
What matters for planning is knowing early which registry applies to you, since it affects your paperwork, your timeline and who needs to be present. Our Malay wedding photography guide covers the akad nikah and bersanding.
Planning photos around your ROM
A Registry ceremony is short, so photography is about being ready rather than moving around: the rings, the signing and your first moments as a married couple happen within minutes. The Registry’s room at The Esplanade holds up to 20 people including the two of you and your witnesses, so it is safest to count your photographer and videographer in when you plan who attends there. Afterwards, the Esplanade sits on the Marina Bay waterfront, with open-air spots a short walk away for family groups and portraits; at the Ficus Room, Gardens by the Bay is on your doorstep.
At your own venue you may have more time and space, depending on the venue and your arrangements, and you can plan the light around the start time you agree with your solemniser. For the details, see our guides to photographing a ROM at the Registry of Marriages, solemnising at Fort Canning and how photo time is used on ROM day.
Requirements and fees are set by the Registry and can change, so check your own situation on marriage.gov.sg before you apply. If you would like your ROM photographed or filmed, see our ROM and solemnisation photography or check your date with us.