Civil Partnership

 

Preliminaries for registering a civil partnership in Scotland

 

The following information gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law.

 

If, after reading it, you are still in doubt, you may seek advice from The Registrar's Office in Glasgow by phoning either 0141 287 7654 or 0141 287 7655 if your civil partnership registration is to take place within Glasgow Registration District area.

 

 

Who can form a civil partnership in Scotland 

                                                                    
Any two persons who are at least 16 years of age on the day of their civil partnership, regardless of where they live, may form a civil partnership in Scotland provided that:

·         they are not related to one another in a way which would prevent their forming a civil partnership with each other

·         they are free to form a civil partnership (any person who has already been married or has been in a previous registered civil partnership must produce documentary evidence that the previous marriage or registered civil partnership has been terminated)

·         they must be of the same sex

·         they are capable of understanding the nature of a civil partnership registration and of consenting to its formation

 

 

 

 

 

How and when to give notice

 

 

Each of you must complete and submit a civil partnership notice, along with the required documents and the appropriate fee, to the registrar for the district in which the civil partnership is to take place.

 

Timing is important. The notices must be submitted early enough to enable the registrar to be satisfied that you are free to form a civil partnership with one another. Normally notices should be handed in about FOUR weeks before the civil partnership registration but if either party has been married before or has been in a previous registered civil partnership, the notices should be with the registrar SIX weeks beforehand. The minimum period is 14 clear days before the date of the proposed civil partnership, but if you leave things as late as this you could be faced with the need to postpone your civil partnership.

 

Only in exceptional circumstances will the Registrar General authorise a civil partnership to take place if 14 clear days notice has not been given.

 

Every person giving notice is required to sign a declaration to the effect that the particulars and information given on the notice are correct.  As a safeguard against bigamous civil partnerships, a subsequent check of the information is made centrally.


If you wish to download Civil Partnership Notice Forms (CP10), these may be obtained from the website of the General Register Office for Scotland.

 

Alternatively, you can each obtain a civil partnership notice form, and information about fees, from any registrar of births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships in Scotland. The telephone number for the Registrar in Glasgow is 0141 287 7654 or 0141 287 7655. 

                                                          

 

Documents to be produced

 

When giving or sending the civil partnership notice forms to the registrar, each of you must supply the following:

·         your birth certificate

·         a decree of divorce, dissolution or annulment if the person giving notice has previously been married or in a registered civil partnership and the marriage or civil partnership has been dissolved

·         a death certificate relating to the former spouse or civil partner

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

 

 

Making arrangements for the civil partnership registration

 

It is important to make early arrangements for the date and time of your civil partnership. 

 

Advance arrangements should be made with the registrar. This is particularly important in towns and cities, where large numbers of people want to be married or register their civil partnership at certain times of the year.

 

You must arrange for two persons, aged 16 years or over, to be present at your civil partnership registration to act as witnesses.

 

 

                                          

 

Civil Partnership Certificate

 

After the civil partnership has been registered you can obtain further extracts from the registrar on payment of the appropriate fee.

 

 

 

If you are in any doubt about what is required or if you need further information, you should consult the registrar.

 

Please note: This information gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law.