Civil partnerships

A Civil Partnership is a legal relationship. This is established after a formal process has been undertaken to give Notice of Civil Partnership, providing documentation to a registrar at an appointment. If there are no legal objections during a waiting period of 28 clear days (or 70 if subject to immigration control), a Civil Partnership schedule will be issued. Attendance is then required at a register office to check and sign the schedule in front of witnesses to form the Civil Partnership.

An appointment is required for the legal preliminaries to give Notice of Civil Partnership. If you are a relevant national, the Notice must be given in the district you live in. If you are not a relevant national, then you will give Notice together with your partner in the district where one of you is a resident. The same fees apply for a Notice of Civil Partnership or a Notice of Marriage.

A formation or a ceremony must be booked with the office conducting the formation in enough time for the Notice to be undertaken before the formation.

Contact the relevant register office to book a Civil Partnership Notice together with formation. A ceremony can take place at the same time as the formation either at a Register Office or one of our Approved Venues. If choosing to form the Civil Partnership at an Approved Venue, booking will be required both with the venue and with Suffolk Registration Service.

There are various legal and financial differences between marriages and civil partnerships. There is also differences in formation and not all countries recognise Civil Partnerships. It is always best to consider which legal relationship is right for you by checking the comparisons on the Government’s website.