The Government has sought to give civil partners parity of treatment with spouses, as far as is possible, in the  rights and responsibilities that flow from forming a civil partnership.
There are a small number of differences between civil partnership and marriage. For example a civil marriage is formed when the couple exchange spoken words. In a civil partnership, the schedule needs to be signed and witnessed for the partnership to be formed. A man and woman can opt for a religious or civil marriage ceremony as they choose, whereas formation of a civil partnership between same sex couples is only legally recognised by civil procedure.
The couple must both be of the same sex, not already be in a civil partnership or marriage, be 16 years of age or older, and not be within the prohibited degrees of relationship.
In England and Wales, individuals who are aged 16 and 17 will have to obtain the written consent of their parent(s) or guardian(s) before registering a civil partnership.
The range of places you can register your civil partnership will be broadly similar to those available for civil marriage (see section Civil Weddings).
You and your partner will need to each give notice in the area(s) where you have resided for at least seven days. When you each give notice, you will be asked to give the date and place of where the civil partnership registration is to take place so these details will need to have been first agreed with the local authority where the registration is going to take place.
Example: If you live in Redditch and your partner lives in Birmingham, but you want to register a civil partnership in a hotel in Warwickshire, you will have to give notice to your local register office in Redditch and your partner at Birmingham Register Office. When you give this notice, you will both have to be able to give the date and place where the civil partnership is to be registered, which means that you will have to have arranged this already with the venue and the relevant Warwickshire Register Office which is responsible for the venue.
Yes. In order to give your Notice you will be asked to produce documents as evidence of name, age and residency. For example, birth certificate or passport, utility bill/bank statement. This list is not exhaustive and other documents may also be acceptable.
If you have been previously married you will be required to provide evidence of the termination of that marriage, by death, divorce or nullity. If you have changed your name by deed poll or statutory declaration you will be required to produce that document.
Each party to the partnership will be required to declare their nationality to enable the Superintendent Registrar to advise you whether any further administrative procedure or legal requirements are needed to ensure the recognition of your partnership in the country in which you are a National.
There will be a 15 day waiting period once each person has given notice of intention to register, before the civil partnership can be registered. There will be procedures in place to reduce the 15 day waiting period in  exceptional circumstances where there are compelling reasons to do so.
It will also be possible for a civil partnership to be registered at the residence of someone who is housebound, detained or seriously ill and not expected to recover.
There are procedures to allow couples to form a civil partnership quickly in the cases of former spouses, one of whom has changed gender under the provisions of the Gender Recognition Act 2004.
Civil partnerships can only be registered between 8am and 6pm (as is the case for marriage). However, where one of the couple is seriously ill and not expected to recover, then the civil partnership may be formed at any time.
When you give notice of your intention to register a civil partnership, details from the notice will be available in a register office for public inspection (as for marriage) but the details will not include the address of you or your partner.
It is important that these details are publicly available during the 15 days waiting period, to allow for objections to be made, just as is the case for marriage.
A civil partnership will be registered once the couple has signed the civil partnership document in the presence of a registrar and two witnesses.
There will be words printed on the document which the couple will be able to say at the time of signing the document. Civil partnership registration is an entirely secular process, and the Civil Partnership Act prevents any religious service from taking place during the statutory steps leading to the formation of a civil partnership.
Yes, you will be able to arrange a ceremony in addition to the signing of the legal documentation if you wish, but a ceremony is not required under the Act. It is up to you to decide.
After registering a civil partnership, some people might want to change their surname to that of their partner, or a couple may choose to hyphenate their names. Government departments and agencies such as the Passport Agency and the DVLA, will accept civil partnership certificates in the same way that they accept marriage certificates as evidence for changing names.
From December 2005 civil partners will have most of the same pension rights as husbands and they will be treated the same as husbands and wives after 2010, when the treatment of men and women is to be equalised.
Civil partners will also be entitled to a survivor’s pension from their civil partner’s contracted-out occupational or personal pension scheme, public service pension scheme or non-contracted out scheme which currently pays survivor benefits to widows and widowers.
For further information contact the Pension Service on 0845 606 0265.
Civil partners will be treated in the same way as married people for all tax purposes, including inheritance tax and capital gains tax. Go to www.hmrc.gov.uk or contact your local tax office for more information.
The income of a civil partner or a cohabiting samesex partner will be taken into account in the same way as for a married couple and a cohabiting opposite-sex couple.
Contact the Benefit Enquiry line on 0800 882200 or the Tax Credits Helpline on 0845 300 3900.
Some same-sex couples have caring responsibilities for children. The law recognises the role of both civil partners in respect of a child living in their household.
A person is able to acquire parental responsibility for their civil partner’s child. They can do this with the agreement of their civil partner, as long as the civil partner has parental responsibility themselves. If the child’s other parent also has parental responsibility, both parents must agree. Parental responsibility can also be acquired on application to the court.
Under the Adoption and Children Act same-sex couples, including civil partners can apply to adopt a child jointly.
See www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/socialcare/lookedafterchildren/adoption or contact your local council.
For information about child support contact the Child Support Agency on 08457 133133
Employers are required to treat their civil partner employees in the same way as married employees in similar circumstances. See www.acas.org.uk
A civil partnership can only be ended by death, dissolution or annulment. Dissolution is a court-based process. Grounds for dissolving a civil partnership are:
- Unreasonable behaviour
- 2 years separation (with consent)
- 5 years separation (without consent)
- One partner has deserted the other for 2 years.
Annulment only applies in specific situations, for example where one of the couple did not validly consent to the civil partnership.
As regards inheriting property or a tenancy, life assurance, fatal accidents compensation, criminal injuries compensation a bereaved partner is treated in the same way as a widow or a widower.
Problems arise in all relationships which you may not be able to solve on your own. There are people you can go to for advice or counselling to help you work through these difficulties.
Contact Relate on 0845 456 1310.
 If you haven’t been a guest at a Civil Partnership ceremony before you may be concerned about what to expect, but rest assured, the couple will create the perfect day that’s right for them, and all you have to do is follow their lead. The rule of thumb is to act as you would at any wedding and go with the flow.
The couple will set the scene and will incorporate as many or as few of the traditional procedures to make the day “their own”. If it has been a long journey to get to where they are they might want to rejoice even more that they’ve made it or, they may decide to keep things mellow by avoiding too much fuss. Their invitation will be an indication of what you may expect.
A usual worry is how to address the card. If you are unsure, opt for first names, which is more personal anyway. Alternatively, “partner” and “happy couple” are a safe bet.
Another common question is, “Do I congratulate their parents?” The answer is “Yes”. However, if you know that there have been problems with parents or family, then it might be best to greet them saying how happy you are to be a part of the occasion and just leave it at that - politeness never hurts.
If you don’t agree with civil partnerships remember that everyone is entitled to his or her own beliefs and this applies to the couple, too. Their ceremony will be very personal and unique to them and by affirming their commitment in front of family and friends, the couple will want everyone to witness and appreciate the choices they made to get to this point. The important thing is, as with any couple “tying the knot”, that they “found” each other and want you to share in their celebration. So, just like them, be excited at what lies ahead.
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