What is Civil Partnership?
How can we register a Civil Partnership?
What documents do we need to produce?
How is the Civil Partnership formed?
At what time of day can we register our Civil Partnership?
Can we have a ceremony as part of the legal process?
Where can we form our Civil Partnership?
How much does it cost to form a Civil Partnership?
Change of name once we have become civil partners
What is Civil Partnership?
The Civil Partnership Act 2004, which came into force on 5 December 2005, provides same sex couples with the facility to gain legal recognition of their relationship. This does not class same sex couples as being “married”, but it does afford them the same legal rights and benefits as heterosexual married couples, with regard to pensions, tax, next of kin rights and so forth.
How can we register a Civil Partnership?
You must be a same-sex couple, both over 18 (or with evidence of consent if 16 or 17), not related to each other within the prohibited degrees of relationship, and not in an existing marriage or civil partnership.
Both of you must have resided in your registration authority area for a minimum of seven days. You must both attend personally (usually by appointment) at your local Register Office in order to give notice of your intention to register a Civil Partnership.
Both notices are then displayed on the public notice board at a designated office for 15 clear days, after which time you can register your partnership.
Where can we give notice?
If you live in the county of Nottinghamshire (but not Nottingham City) you can give notice of your intention to register a Civil Partnership at any Nottinghamshire Register Office. All Register Offices operate an appointment system.
What documents do we need to produce?
You will be asked to provide evidence of your:
Name, age and nationality
i.e. current passport or full birth certificate.
For the purposes of nationality, if you are providing a birth certificate (instead of a passport) AND you were born in the United Kingdom on or after 1 January 1983, we also need to see your mother's birth certificate.
Condition
i.e. Decree Absolute, Dissolution of Civil Partnership, Decree of Nullity or death certificate of former spouse/partner and, depending on circumstances, your previous marriage/civil partnership certificate.
When making an appointment to give notice, you will be given specific advice according to your circumstances.
Current address
We will need to see evidence of where you live eg. your most recent (no more than 2 to 3 months old) utility bill, bank statement, telephone bill, Council Tax Notice.
Parties under the age of 18
If either of you is under 18 years of age you will need to show proof that your parents or guardians have given their consent.
All documents must be originals.
For further advice or clarification please contact your local Register Office.
How is the Civil Partnership formed?
A Civil Partnership is formed once you and your partner have signed the relevant legal document (called a schedule) in the presence of a registration officer and two witnesses. There is no legal requirement for you to say any official words, although there are formal statements printed on the document which you may say if you wish.
Can we have a ceremony as part of this legal process?
Although there is no legal requirement to go through any sort of ceremony, Nottinghamshire County Council offers a basic ceremony as an optional addition to the legal registration for those couples who wish to do so. This will incur different costs when taking place at approved premises, as opposed to the Register Office.
If you would like to have a ceremony, we will work with you to make it a special and unique occasion. You can select personal vows/promises, readings of poetry/prose, as well as music that hold a special meaning for you. However, all aspects of the ceremony must be non-religious and all content must be agreed with the Superintendent Registrar well in advance of the day.
At what time of day can we register our Civil Partnership?
Civil Partnerships can only be registered between 8am and 6pm. However, if one of the couple is seriously ill and not expected to recover this may take place at any time (by mutual agreement with registration staff).
Can we book a date and time for a ceremony before giving notice?
Yes. It is advisable to make a Provisional Booking with the Register Office in whose district you wish to form your Civil Partnership. This can be done up to a maximum of two years in advance (with local variations).
For a ceremony in approved premises, you will probably have already discussed dates with the venue of your choice. However, you MUST then contact the relevant Register Office to check availability in their diary and to make a provisional booking. In order to secure this as a provisional booking, a non-refundable deposit of £100 is payable at the time of making that booking.
Where can we form our Civil Partnership?
You may form a Civil Partnership at any Register Office or at any premises approved by the local authority for such ceremonies. A list of these venues in Nottinghamshire can also be obtained from any Nottinghamshire Register Office.
How much does it cost to form a Civil Partnership?
For all fees relating to giving notice and to the day of the ceremony, please see our fees table.
Change of name once we become civil partners
There is no requirement for either of you to change your surname once you have become civil partners. If one of you does wish to take their new partner’s surname, you can do this simply by changing to that surname and using it for all purposes in your daily life. This may include both of you joining your surnames together.
There is no legal procedure to follow and you do not necessarily need proof that you have changed your name, provided that you can be identified by your new chosen name. Showing your civil partnership certificate will normally suffice when notifying people of your change of surname.
Occasionally, this may not be enough and further evidence of your change of name may be requested, such as a letter from a responsible person, a statutory declaration or a deed poll. There will, of course, be a cost involved with these.
For further information and advice about changing your name, see the Citizens Advice Bureau website at www.adviceguide.org.uk/change_of_name
For a list of people and organisations to notify of your change of name, go to Who should I inform of my name change? [PDF 51KB] 
Further information
For further details, please see the DTI press release on the General Register Office website
www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/civilpartnerships
For the latest information on Civil Partnership implementation please visit
www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/civilpartnership
Or contact your local Register Office.
