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Civil partnerships were introduced in the UK back in 2005, before marriage was made available for same-sex and LGBTQ+ couples (which happened in England, Wales, and Scotland in 2014, and in Northern Ireland in 2020).
Initially they were for same-sex couples only, but in 2018, following the legal battle of a heterosexual couple who took their case to the Supreme Court, the government took steps to allow two people who are not of the same sex to enter into a civil partnership. As of December 2019, mixed sex couples in England and Wales can opt for a civil partnership rather than marriage, with Northern Ireland and Scotland following suit in 2020 and 2022 respectively. In 2020, the first year after the law changed, 7,566 opposite-sex civil partnerships were formed in England and Wales (7,208 in England and 358 in Wales).
So, what exactly is a civil partnership? Does it give you the same rights as marriage? And how do they work? Legal expert Alexandra Hirst, a family lawyer at Boodle Hatfield LLP, explains everything you need to know about civil partnerships.
What is a civil partnership?
A civil partnership is defined under the law as a formal legal relationship between two people of the opposite or same sex, which is formed when they register as civil partners of each other.
Who can have a civil partnership?
As the law currently stands, to be eligible for a civil partnership both partners must:
- be unmarried and not already a civil partner
- be over the age of 18
- not be within the prohibited degrees of relationship (for example, they cannot be related biologically)
- be entering into the civil partnership freely and without duress
Same-sex couples in England, Wales, and Scotland can convert their civil partnerships into marriage. Opposite-sex civil partners currently can’t do this.
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How do civil partnerships work?
First, you have to give notice of your intention to register to your local register office. You must have lived in an area for at least seven days before you can give notice there, and this needs to be done even if the civil partnership will be registered somewhere else. Once notice has been given, details of the notice will be made available in a register office for people to see. The details must be made available for 28 days before the civil partnership can be registered, to give an opportunity for objections to be made.
Next, after the 28 days, you have to register the civil partnership — as long as there are no objections and no legal reasons why you can’t. The register office will issue you with a legal document called a Civil Partnership Schedule which is needed in order to register a civil partnership. The partnership must then be registered within the next 12 months and must be done in front of a registrar and two witnesses.
Where can you register a civil partnership?
Civil partnerships can be registered in any register office or at any venue that has been approved to register civil partnerships. Anywhere that has been approved to hold civil marriages automatically has approval to register civil partnerships. Non-religious venues cannot choose whether to hold civil partnerships if they hold weddings as this would constitute unlawful discrimination. A civil partnership can also be registered on religious premises, though religious organisations are not obliged to host civil partnership ceremonies.
There are no further legal requirements, so you can choose whether or not you have a ceremony.
How much do they cost?
You will need to pay a fee to give notice of your intention to register a civil partnership and a registration fee. The fee depends upon where you want to register your civil partnership.
What rights does a civil partnership give you?
Entering into a civil partnership provides you with:
- tax exemption for gifts between civil partners
- under the Children Act (which deals with the arrangements and provision for children), civil partners have the same rights as married partners
- an ability to apply for the same financial orders as are available to a married couple on relationship breakdown
- specific provisions relating to contributions by a civil partner to property improvements
- provisions on death; for example, the position of civil partners will be the same as spouses including rights upon intestacy (i.e. if one partner dies without a will)
- protection from domestic violence under the law, so that a civil partner has the same protections as a spouse
Although a civil partnership is by law not the same as a marriage, civil partners are now in an identical position to spouses in relation to financial provision, children, rights of occupation of property, tax, and death.
How do you end a civil partnership?
The process is the same as divorce (using the same forms and Court), although it is referred to as a dissolution. One difference is that civil partners cannot file for a dissolution of their civil partnership on the basis of adultery, whereas married couples can.
The terminology is also slightly different, for example, in place of a “decree absolute of divorce” (the final decree which ends a marriage), the court grants a “dissolution order”.
What’s the difference between marriage and civil partnership?
Regardless of whether you’re in a marriage or a civil partnership, spousal rights are the same. However, the two are slightly different: a marriage requires vows, whereas a civil partnership does not.
Beyond the logistics, there’s a distinction between the two in terms of their associations. Marriage, as a concept, can come with baggage.
Traditionally, weddings were a ceremony that revolved around transferring a woman from her father’s stewardship into that of her future spouse. It’s hard not to look past the patriarchal history, and so, for some, civil partnerships feel like a more modern option. All of the tax breaks, less of the icky connotations!
However, if you’re religious — or have dreams of tying in the knot in a gorgeous wedding — you’ll likely want to opt for a marriage. Why? Well, a civil partnership cannot be performed in a religious venue.
At the end of the day, regardless of whether you opt for a wedding or a civil partnership, both are incredibly special ways of committing yourself to a partner.
Paisley is the former Sex and Relationships editor at Cosmopolitan UK. She covers everything from sex toys, how to masturbate and sex positions, to all things LGBTQ. She definitely reveals too much about her personal life on the Internet.
Megan Wallace (they/them) is Cosmopolitan UK’s Former Sex and Relationships Editor covering sexual pleasure, sex toys, LGBTQIA+ identity, dating and romance. They have covered sexuality and relationships for over five years and are the founder of the PULP zine, which publishes essays on culture and sex. In their spare time, they can be found exploring the London kink scene and planning dates on Feeld.
