Civil partnership - documents to be produced

By law, each party to a proposed civil partnership registration is required to complete a civil partnership notice form.

Civil partnership notice

It is important to understand that by signing the notice you are making a declaration that the information given on the notice is correct.

Documents to be produced

The Registrar needs to see documents that prove your age, nationality and identity:

• if you were born in the UK, you need to provide your full birth certificate (long version) and passport
• if you were born outside the UK, you need to provide the certified copy of your birth issued by the appropriate authority of that country and your passport or national identity card
• if you have been in a civil partnership previously and it has been dissolved, you need to provide a certificate of Dissolution of Civil Partnership
• if you have been married before and the marriage was dissolved, you need to provide a certificate of decree absolute - a decree of divorce granted either in or outside of Northern Ireland must be absolute or final, a decree nisi is not acceptable
• if you are divorced and you have retained your married name, you need to provide your previous marriage certificate
• if you are a widow or widower, you need to provide the death certificate of your former spouse
• if you are the surviving partner of a civil partnership, you need to provide the death certificate of your former civil partner

Language of documents

If any of the documents is in a language other than English, a certified translation in English must also be provided.

What to do if documents are not yet available for submission

Do not delay giving notice simply because you are waiting for any of the documents mentioned above.

Authorised or notarised copies may be acceptable for the purpose of giving notice. However, the Registrar must see the original of any of the above documents before a civil partnership can take place. It is better to give notice first and then pass the documents to the Registrar when they become available. Provided the documents are in order the civil partnership can proceed as arranged.

If you are visiting Northern Ireland (or any part of the UK) to enter a civil partnership and you are a citizen of a country that is not a member of the European Economic Area, you will need to enclose a copy of your visa.

Photocopies of documents are not acceptable unless certified to be a true copy by the issuing authority.