Witness Onboarding Guide

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Welcome to Need A Witness UK. This guide explains everything you need to know before joining our platform as a witness. Please read it carefully, as it outlines your responsibilities, how bookings work, and what we expect from all witnesses.

1. Your Role as a Witness

As a witness, your role is to attend civil ceremonies and legally witness the signing of marriage documents. You must:

• be over 16 years old (local authority rules may vary)
• understand the ceremony and the declarations being made
• speak and understand English clearly
• be able to sign your name on the marriage schedule

2. Independent Contractor Status

All witnesses on our platform are self‑employed independent contractors. This means:

• you choose which jobs to accept
• you manage your own availability
• you are responsible for your own tax and National Insurance
• you are not an employee of Need A Witness UK

We provide the platform, but you provide the service.

3. How Bookings Work

Here’s how the process works from start to finish:

• A couple submits a booking request
• We allocate a suitable witness based on availability and location
• You receive the job details (date, time, venue)
• You can accept or decline the job
• If accepted, you attend the ceremony and act as a legal witness
• You receive payment after the ceremony

4. Professional Expectations

We expect all witnesses to:

• arrive on time
• dress appropriately for a wedding
• behave respectfully and professionally
• communicate promptly if any issues arise

5. No‑Show Policy

If you accept a job, you are expected to attend. If you cannot attend due to an emergency, you must notify us immediately.

Repeated no‑shows may result in removal from the platform.

6. Payments

Payments are made per completed job. You will receive:

• the witness fee for the job
• minus any applicable platform fee

Payments are sent to the bank details you provide. You are responsible for declaring this income to HMRC.

7. Communication

You must be reachable on the day of the ceremony. If we cannot contact you, we may reassign the job.

8. Removal From Platform

We may suspend or remove witnesses for:

• repeated lateness or no‑shows
• unprofessional behaviour
• misuse of the platform
• providing false information

9. Data Protection

We store your information securely and only use it for platform operations. Your first name may be shared with couples for booking purposes.

10. Acceptance

By registering as a witness, you confirm that:

• you understand your role and responsibilities
• you are self‑employed
• you agree to our Witness Agreement and platform policies