Giving notice of marriage

It sounds like your solicitor was incompetent - I've never heard of anyone being told they didn't need a divorce just because they were married in another country. The only time that would be true would be if you underwent some kind of religious or tribal ceremony that was not legally binding - e.g. I had friends who got married in a religious ceremony in the country in which they were living at the time, but their marriage had no legal status, so they 'remarried' in a civil ceremony when they came back to the UK.

I would get legal advice asap - it sounds as if you won't be allowed to marry without finalising divorce from your first partner - and even if you could find a way around that, you might be opening yourself up to accusations of bigamy in future, so you need to sort this now before proceeding with your wedding.

That sounds like such a frustrating situation, especially after being told years ago that you didn’t need to do anything further. I’d probably get the status of the Turkish marriage checked properly before trying to give notice again, as the fact that it wasn’t recorded by the GRO doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t legally recognised in the UK.

I came across this guide while looking into the legal side of getting married in the UK and found it quite useful, especially around giving notice and the documents involved:

https://consultantlm.uk/consultant-article/how-to-get-married-in-the-united-kingdom-civil-ceremony

Yes, situations like this can happen, particularly where a previous marriage took place abroad and there is uncertainty about whether it was legally recognised in the UK.

The fact that the marriage does not appear in the UK General Register Office records does not, by itself, mean that the marriage was legally invalid. The validity of a marriage carried out abroad can depend on the law of the country where it took place and whether the relevant legal requirements were met.

Given that the registrar is now refusing to accept your notice, I would get the position formally clarified rather than relying on the advice you received back in 2015. You may need evidence relating to the Turkish marriage and/or legal advice on whether it was valid and whether a divorce is required before you can marry again.

If you're unsure how to deal with the registrar or what documents you need, you could also ask for advice through CONSULTANT , where you can submit the details of your situation and get connected with a UK legal professional.