---
title: "Matrimonial Causes Act 1965"
id: 5a4c8900-a5d6-42eb-9efa-5a58fffdc9ea
authority: uk
place: "United Kingdom"
applies_also_from: []
kind: statute
in_force: true
publisher_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1965/72
attribution: "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
solon_url: https://solon.orangecat.ch/law/5a4c8900-a5d6-42eb-9efa-5a58fffdc9ea
language: en
in_force_from: 1991-02-01
date_basis: publisher
status: consolidated
source_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1965/72/data.xml
read_on: 2026-11-08
sha256: 2f992f968729d53cc0cb3acac23b92415ccadbc1ddf2f8df51eb304ceb8e3669
provisions: 23
---

# Matrimonial Causes Act 1965

## Title and introductory text {#prelims}

Matrimonial Causes Act 1965
1965 c.72
An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to matrimonial causes, maintenance and declarations of legitimacy and British nationality, with corrections and improvements made under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949.
[8th November 1965]

## 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-17}



## 8 Remarriage of divorced persons. {#section-8}

(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(2) No clergyman of the Church of England or the Church in Wales shall be compelled—
(a) to solemnise the marriage of any person whose former marriage has been dissolved and whose former spouse is still living; or
(b) to permit the marriage of such a person to be solemnised in the church or chapel of which he is the minister.

## 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-914.}



## 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-1522.}



## 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-23}



## 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-24}



## 25 Alteration of agreements by court after death of one party. {#section-25}

(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

## 26 Orders for maintenance from deceased’s estate. {#section-26}

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

## 27 Discharge and variation of orders under s. 26. {#section-27}

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

## 28 Additional provisions as to orders under ss. 26 and 27. {#section-28}

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

## 28A {#section-28A}

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

## 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-2932.}



## 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-3337.}



## 38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-38}



## 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-3941.}



## 42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-42}



## 43 Evidence. {#section-43}

(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

## 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-44}



## 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-45}



## 46 †Short title, interpretation, commencement and extent. {#section-46}

(1) This Act may be cited as the Matrimonial Causes Act 1965.
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(4) . . ., this Act does not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland.

## SCHEDULE 1 {#schedule-1}

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

## SCHEDULE 2 {#schedule-2}

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