Civil Partnership Registration

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Update: 24 March 2023

Any ceremonies that were due to take place during COVID (2020/2021) where notices were submitted and no new date has been fixed as yet, please note you only have up until 1 September 2023 to transfer your notice fees to another date. After this time your notice fees will be non-transferable.

Upon receiving marriage and civil partnership application forms you will normally be contacted within a few days to confirm receipt of your notice forms.

This service is currently receiving an exceptionally high volume of notice submissions and email enquiries, therefore response times are taking longer than usual as our team work through the extensive backlogs. Current response times for email enquires in relation to bookings or other are taking around 7 - 10 days.

Please do not email our service to check the progress of your enquiry/application, unless in the event of an emergency e.g. terminal illness or other. We work through these in date order and will respond as soon as we can.

Please ensure you read all of the information below and remember to include contact details with your application as this will help avoid any unnecessary delays in processing your paperwork.

Please note, Civil Ceremony fees will increase from 1 April 2023. An updated fees list can be found below.

What is a Civil Partnership?

(revised 2021)

Civil partnerships were introduced in 2005 to legally recognise a same sex union. From 30 June 2021, in Scotland opposite sex couples can also enter a civil partnership.

A Civil Partnership is a legal relationship entered by a couple, which is then registered and provides them with similar legal rights as married couples.

What are the differences between Marriage and a Civil Partnership?

Marriage is formed by the exchange of vows during a ceremony, whereas a civil partnership is formed by signing a civil partnership schedule. Although a ceremony is not required, most couples wish to have one.
Marriage is ended by divorce, whereas civil partnership is ended by dissolution.
All couples now have a choice of how they wish to seal their relationship

If you would like to discuss anything connected to civil partnerships or conversion to marriage, please contact us at mar&cpr@glasgow.gov.uk

I want to have a Civil Partnership in Scotland/Glasgow

You can have a civil partnership in either of two ways in Scotland - by civil ceremony (Conducted by a Registrar) or by a religious or belief ceremony:

Civil Ceremony
This ceremony may take place in a registration office or at any place mutually agreed between the couple and the local registration authority, other than religious premises. The ceremony can be personalized to suit your individual tastes and needs. Your day, your way!

Religious or Belief Ceremony
This ceremony can be solemnized only by a minister, clergyman, pastor, priest or other person entitled to do so under the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 and the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

Each party to a civil partnership must complete and submit a NRS - CP10 form, along with the required documents and the appropriate fee, to the registrar for the district in which the civil partnership is to take place. Please check with your venue and/or celebrant to ensure that your ceremony is taking place within Glasgow city registration boundary before sending your notice forms.

Further information on Civil Partnerships in Scotland can be found by visiting the National Records Of Scotland website.

How do I submit notice of my Civil Partnership?

At present, we only accept civil partnership notices by post. These, along with any supporting documents should be submitted to:

Registration Service, Glasgow City Council, Mail Room, City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DU

Please include contact details and a member of our team will be in touch to arrange payment over the phone by credit/debit card allowing us to lodge your notice or to check any additional information. Contact details should include a UK landline or mobile number and email address.

Please DO NOT hand deliver notices and documentation as they will not be accepted!

What documents do I need to include when registering my Civil Partnership?

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

your birth certificate;
your passport;
proof of current/usual residence - for e.g. Utility bill (not older than 3 months); Bank/Building society statement (not older than 1 month); Most recent Council Tax bill; Valid UK Driving Licence; Letter signed by someone able to confirm period of residence at address e.g. relative accommodating individual (further supporting evidence may be needed);
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 decree of divorce granted out with Scotland must be absolute or final-a decree nisi is not acceptable;
if you are a widow or widower, the death certificate of your former spouse;
if your domicile is abroad, a certificate of no impediment issued by the competent authority to the effect that you are free to enter into a civil partnership;
if any of your documents are in a language other than English, a certified translation in English must also be provided;
If you are a Non-UK national further documentation will need to be completed. Please also download and complete a Declaration of Immigration Status Form - Home Office.

When sending your original CP10 forms, please send photocopies of documents only (not originals). We will arrange to see originals prior to your civil partnership ceremony or in the case of a religious/belief ceremony, prior to issue of your Civil Partnership schedule.

When do I submit notice of a Civil Partnership?

Timing is important. The notices must be submitted early enough to enable the registrar to be satisfied that you are free to enter into a civil partnership with one another.

Therefore, notices should be handed in 8-10 weeks before your civil partnership is set to take place.

If either party has been married or in a civil partnership before, or if any of the parties are a non-UK national, the notices should be with the registrar 10 weeks beforehand.

The minimum period is 29 days before the date of the proposed civil partnership, but if you leave it as late as this you run the risk of needing to postpone your ceremony.

Only in exceptional circumstances will the Registrar General authorise a civil partnership to take place when less than 29 days notice has been given.

Notice forms cannot be submitted any earlier than 3 months before your proposed date of civil partnership.

What happens after I submit my Civil Partnership notice?

Notice forms will only be accepted and lodged if:

You have a minister or authorised celebrant etc. arranged to deliver your ceremony in Glasgow and require the Registrar's service to produce a schedule document permitting the ceremony to take place

You have arranged a booking or wish to arrange a booking (subject to availability) to enter into a civil partnership in a ceremony conducted by a Registrar, in our Ceremony rooms or at a third-party venue in Glasgow. Please visit our Civil Ceremonies page.

AND

Provided you have returned your application forms within the statutory 29-day minimum notice period, including contact details, we will contact you to make further arrangements and arrange payment.

Where a couple are unable to give the required 29 days notice (e.g. due to serious illness of one of the parties), then please email mar&cpr@glasgow.gov.uk for advice.

We can only accept notice forms and their supporting documents by post - Address noted above.

Upon receipt of your application we will contact you to acknowledge receipt of your paperwork, which will be filed in ceremony date order to be processed by our team.

Please do not email our service to check the progress of your application - unless, in the event of an emergency e.g. terminal illness or other. We work through these in date order and will get to your application.

What is a Civil Partnership schedule?

When the registrar is satisfied there is no legal impediment to the civil partnership a schedule will be prepared from the information you have given. The schedule is the most important document - no civil partnership can proceed without it.

If you are having a religious civil partnership the schedule will be issued to you by the registrar. The schedule cannot be issued more than seven days before the civil partnership and the registrar will advise you when to visit the office to uplift the schedule, which is by appointment only. The schedule cannot be collected on your behalf by a relative or friend- the registrar will only issue it to one of the prospective parties.

The civil partnership schedule must be produced to the person performing the civil partnership before the civil partnership ceremony begins.

Immediately after the ceremony, the schedule must be signed by both parties, the person performing the ceremony and by the two witnesses. Thereafter, it must be returned to the registrar within three days for the civil partnership to be legally registered.

If you are having a civil ceremony, a schedule will not be issued beforehand. The registrar will have it available at your civil partnership ceremony for signature. Subsequently the civil partnership will be registered.

How much does it cost?

Costs will depend on your chosen venue, date and number of guests. Please see below for current fee lists.

For a religious or belief ceremony solemnized only by a minister, clergyman, pastor, priest or other person the cost will be £100. This includes the fee for the marriage certificate which is issued a few weeks after your ceremony has taken place.

From 1 April 2023:

If you are having a religious or belief civil partnership, please contact your celebrant for any other associated fees chargeable by them.

How do I pay?

When posting Notices to us please include contact details so we can arrange payment. We cannot lodge notices if no contact details are given to allow arrangements to be made for payment by credit/debit card.

Please note, Glasgow City Council now operate a cashless system, therefore, ALL payments should now be in the form of a credit/debit card. We are unable to accept cheque payments.

Conversion of a Civil Partnership to Marriage

If you are already in a civil partnership and wish to take the administration route, please contact the Registrar's Office to book a date and time (mar&cpr@glasgow.gov.uk). When attending your appointment, please bring:

Civil partnership certificate
Form of photographic identification for both parties, i.e. passport or driver's licence

If you wish to have a ceremony to mark the change of your civil partnership to marriage, please read the information provided on our marriage webpage for arrangements on how to book a ceremony.

What happens if I am late for my appointment?

We are currently not offering any face to face appointments at this time for the lodging of any civil partnership notices.

However, if you are having a religious or belief system civil partnership and have been asked by the Registrar to attend the office to collect your schedule, then please be on time. If you are late, you will need to re-schedule your appointment.

Can I reschedule an appointment?

If you are having a religious or belief ceremony and have been asked by the Registrar to attend the office to collect your schedule and are unable to keep the appointed time then please email mar&cpr@glasgow.gov.uk as soon as possible.

We have a very limited number of appointments and welcome your assistance in keeping to our schedule/time allocated.

If your ceremony is cancelled or postponed

If you have already lodged notice or paid a booking fee and your arrangements have changed then please email mar&cpr@glasgow.gov.uk with the heading Cancelled/Postponed Ceremony with the name of the couple who were to enter into a civil partnership.