Civil Partnerships

Civil partnership is a new legal relationship, which can be formed by two people of the same sex, giving them the ability to obtain legal recognition for their relationship.

The Civil Partnership Act came into force on 5th December 2005, giving couples who form a civil partnership the new legal status of 'civil partner'. Same sex couples who form a civil partnership will be treated equally in a wide range of legal matters with opposite-sex couples who enter into a civil marriage.

Arranging a Civil Partnership

A formal notice of intent to form a civil partnership will involve a personal visit to the Registration Office to complete preliminaries. Both parties will be required to give notice in the area(s) where they have resided for at least seven days. If a civil partnership is to be registered outside of the area of residence, notice will still be required in the areas of residence and you will need to state the date and the place you wish the partnership to take place so that these details can first be agreed with the local authority where the registration is going to take place. Please telephone our Hereford Registration Office for further details or to make an appointment on 01432 260565 or email to registrars@herefordshire.gov.uk or visit our offices at the Town Hall, St Owen Street, Hereford.

There will be a period of 15 days between giving this notice and being able to register as civil partners. This will allow for checks to be undertaken to ensure that eligibility requirements are met. Should parties give notice on different days, the 15 day waiting period is counted from the time the second of the two notices is given. If an objection is made during the waiting period, the objection will have to be dealt with before the registration can take place. Each notice is valid for one year, and the registration of the partnership must take place on a day when both notices are valid.

A civil partnership is formed when both parties have read or spoken a prescribed declaration prior to signing the partnership schedule in the presence of a registration officer and two witnesses. The partnership comes into being once the second civil partner signs the document. The partnership will then be recorded, following which, certificates of partnership can be issued.

Location of Registration

When you give notice, you will be asked to state where you wish your civil partnership registration to take place. Herefordshire Council has registration facilities in various locations throughout the County but you may wish to undertake your event at an approved premise whereby you will be required to make all the external arrangements prior to contacting the Registration Service. Once Notice of Civil Partnership has been given, you will be able to confirm the arrangements with the venue. It is also possible for a civil partnership to be registered at the residence of someone who is housebound or seriously ill and not expected to recover.

If you wish you may arrange a ceremony in addition to the registration procedure but the Civil Partnership Act does not require one as part of that process.

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.

Eligibility

In order to form a civil partnership in the UK, the couple must:

• both be of the same sex
• not already be in an existing civil partnership or marriage
• be 18 years of age or older (or able to produce evidence of consent if 16/17 years of age)
• not be within the prohibited degrees of relationship (e.g one person is the other person's grandparent, parent, child or sibling)

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, individuals who are 16/17 years of age will have to obtain the written consent of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) before forming a civil partnership. In Scotland individuals aged 16 or over will be able to register their partnership without the need for parental consent. In Scotland this is also the rule for opposite-sex couples who marry.