Civil Partnership

Civil Partnership is a new legal relationship which enables same-sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship by registering their relationship. Once a couple are registered as civil partners they will enjoy the same rights and responsibilities which couples who have married enjoy, such as rights to survivor’s pension, inheritance rights etc.  The Civil Partnership Act 2004 became law on 5th December 2005.

Over 100 civil partnerships have been registered in Northern Ireland since last December. For more information on how to register a civil partnership in Northern Ireland contact www.groni.gov.uk.

Previous Consultation

A consultation exercise was carried out in relation to proposals for a civil partnership registration scheme in Northern Ireland back in early 2004.  You can view opposite both the consultation document and an analysis of the responses received.

More information and help

If you have any difficulties accessing any of the pdf documents please contact us.

For more information about civil partnership in England and Wales contact:

Women and Equality Unit
Department for Communities and Local Government
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET

Telephone: 0207 215 5000

Website: www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk

For more information on civil partnership in Scotland contact:

Scottish Executive
Justice Department
Civil Law Division
St Andrews House
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

Website: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/Civil/18313/12657

Email: civilpartnershipregistration@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

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