Wondering how to get a prenup? Getting a prenuptial agreement is more straightforward than most couples expect — it is a clear, seven-step process, and much of it is simply a matter of talking honestly and giving yourselves enough time. Here is exactly how to get a prenup in England & Wales, step by step, followed by the choice between an online service and a solicitor.
1. Start early
Begin well before the wedding so there is no suggestion of last-minute pressure — one of the main reasons agreements are later challenged. Aim to have it signed at least 28 days beforehand, and ideally two to three months ahead. The moment you are engaged is not too soon. See when should you sign a prenup? and, if the wedding is close, last-minute prenups.
2. Talk it through together
Agree the broad approach as a couple first — what stays separate, what you share, and how you want to handle things fairly. This conversation is often the most valuable part; our guide to how to talk about a prenup helps if you are not sure how to raise it. Approaching it as a joint plan, rather than one partner's demand, sets the right tone and helps the agreement feel fair to both of you.
3. Disclose your finances
Each partner sets out their assets, income and debts honestly. This full and frank disclosure is the foundation of a sound agreement — an agreement built on hidden or vague figures is easy to attack later. See full and frank disclosure, the information you'll need, and how to value your assets.
4. Draft the agreement
Decide what the agreement should say and get it drafted. You can use an online service like UK Prenup (from £199, generated instantly as a PDF) or a solicitor — see how much a prenup costs and what to include. A prenup checklist helps make sure nothing is missed.
5. Take independent legal advice
Each partner should ideally have their own independent legal advice — one of the key factors that makes an agreement more likely to be upheld, because it shows each of you understood what you were signing. See do you need a solicitor? and how to choose a prenup solicitor.
6. Sign it properly
Both partners sign and date the agreement freely, well before the wedding. It is executed as a deed, so each signs in the presence of an independent adult witness who also signs. See how to sign a prenup.
7. Keep it safe
Store a signed copy somewhere secure and accessible, together with the disclosure schedule and any legal advice letters — you may need them years later. See storing your prenup and what happens after signing.
How to get a prenup: online or through a solicitor?
There are two main ways to get a prenup. An online service walks you through both partners' finances and produces a professionally structured agreement the same day for a fixed fee; a solicitor drafts a bespoke agreement and negotiates between you, which costs more but suits genuinely complex estates. Many couples get the best of both — draft online, then each take independent legal advice on the finished document (see online prenup vs solicitor).
Can you write your own prenup?
Yes. Nothing in the law of England & Wales requires a prenup to be drafted by a solicitor, and nothing stops you writing one yourselves. What the courts look at is whether it was made properly: full disclosure from both of you, each partner free to take independent advice, terms that are fair, and signatures well before the wedding. A home-written agreement can meet all of that, and the ones that fail usually fail on those points rather than on who typed it.
Our guide to whether you can write your own prenup goes through what a DIY agreement has to get right, and prenup templates looks at what a template can and cannot do for you. If you would rather have the drafting done and keep the cost down, an online service such as UK Prenup sits between the two.
The legal reason behind each step
Each of the seven steps exists because of something a court will later look for. Starting early is about the first limb of the test in Radmacher v Granatino: the agreement must be freely entered into, and the closer to the wedding it is signed, the easier it is to argue later that it was signed under the pressure of the date. The Law Commission's 2014 report recommended that a qualifying nuptial agreement be made at least 28 days before the wedding for exactly that reason, and since section 31 of the Marriage Act 1949 already requires 28 days' notice of a civil marriage, signing when you give notice is a natural way to satisfy both.
Talking it through and disclosing your finances go to the second limb, a full appreciation of the agreement's implications. Neither of you can appreciate what you are giving up without knowing what the other has, so the Law Commission treated financial disclosure as a requirement, defining it as disclosure of material information about each other's finances rather than an inventory of every possession. The schedule you exchange at step three is the record that this happened.
Drafting is where the substance is decided, and the substance should follow the law's own lines. The Supreme Court's 2025 decision in Standish v Standish confirmed that the sharing principle on divorce applies to matrimonial property, the wealth built up during the marriage, and not to non-matrimonial property such as what each of you brought in, inherited or was given, unless you later treat it as shared. An agreement that lists the pre-marital assets, says they stay separate, and sets a fair approach to what you build together is asking the court to do what it would be inclined to do anyway, which is why such agreements are respected. It must also leave room for needs: section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 requires the court to consider each party's reasonable needs and, first, the welfare of any child under eighteen, and section 34 makes void any term that tries to stop either of you applying to the court.
Independent legal advice, step five, is not legally compulsory, but the Supreme Court treated it as one of the main indicators that a party understood what they were signing, and the Law Commission would make it a formal requirement. Signing as a deed, step six, is governed by section 1 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989: each signature must be made in the presence of a witness who attests it, and the document must be delivered, which in practice means dated and handed over. Keeping it safe, step seven, matters because a prenup is evidence, and an agreement neither of you can produce twenty years later, together with its disclosure schedule and advice letters, is a much weaker one.
How to get a prenup: FAQs
How long does it take to get a prenup?
The document can be ready the same day online; allow several weeks overall for disclosure, advice and signing in good time (see how long does a prenup take?).
Do you need a solicitor to get a prenup?
Not legally, but independent advice for each partner is strongly recommended (see do you need a solicitor?).
Can you get a prenup online?
Yes — an online service produces a professionally structured agreement for a fixed fee, which you can then have reviewed if you wish.
What if we run out of time before the wedding?
It is usually better to make a postnuptial agreement afterwards than to rush a prenup in the final days.
Do both of us need to be involved?
Yes — a prenup is a joint agreement, and both partners must disclose, take part and sign freely for it to work.
Create your prenuptial agreement online
UK Prenup lets couples in England & Wales create a clear, fair prenuptial agreement online from £199, with your document generated instantly as a PDF. See how it works or get started.
UK Prenup is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. A prenuptial agreement in England & Wales is not automatically binding, and both partners should take independent legal advice before signing.