Civil Partnerships– what is it?
In 2003, the British government announced plans to introduce civil partnerships which would allow same-sex couples the rights and responsibilities resulting from civil marriage. The Civil Partnership Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on March 30, 2004 and received Royal Assent on November 18.
The Act came into force on 5 December 2005, and same-sex, but not opposite-sex, couples were able to form the civil partnerships from 19 December 2005 in Northern Ireland, 20 December 2005 in Scotland and 21 December 2005 in England and Wales. Separate provisions were included in the first Finance Act 2005 to allow regulations to be made to amend tax laws to give the same tax advantages and disadvantages to couples in civil partnerships as apply to married couples.
All couples must adhere to the following requirements:
- Same sex couples must not be married or already be a civil partner
- Parental consent is needed if between the ages of 16 and 18
- 15 days prior notice of proposed civil partnerships must be given to the Registration Authority
- You will be required to sign a document in the presence of a registration officer and two witnesses
The Civil Partnership Act applies to all residents within the UK and Northern Ireland. Registering under this Act will offer gay and lesbian couples similar legal benefits as heterosexual married couples. For further details on registering, contact your local council or registry office, or visit: www.gro.gov.uk. After you have legally registered your partnership, you will be known as "Civil Partners". There is no stipulation that you automatically take your partner's surname, so if you would like to change your last name you will need to make changes by deed poll. For further information, please visit www.stonewall.org.uk.
An extra note
Both same-sex marriages and civil unions of other nations will be automatically considered civil partnerships under UK law providing they came within Section 20 of the Act. This means, in some cases, non-Britons from nations with civil unions will have greater rights in the UK than in their native countries. For example, a Vermont civil union would have legal standing in the UK, however in cases where one partner was American and the other British, the Vermont civil union would not provide the Briton with right of abode in Vermont (or any other US state or territory), whereas it would provide the American with right of abode in the UK.
