Guide to civil partnerships
The Civil Partnership Act became law in November 2004 and was effective from 5 December 2005. The first ceremonies took place on 21 December 2005.
The Lesbian and Gay Foundation produced 15,000 copies of the first edition of our Guide to Civil Partnerships in late 2005. It was such a huge success that we decided to reprint and update it in 2007 in association with O'Neill Patient Solicitors because we simply ran out of copies.
Over 18,000 same sex registrations took place in the UK in the first year after the Civil Partnership Act became law in December 2005.
The Civil Partnership Act means that register offices up and down the country are able to register same sex couples as legal ‘spouses’. All legislation which affects spouses, also include same sex couples. The Civil Partnership Act has affected major legal change in the way we are viewed in terms of tax planning, inheritance tax and property rights.
This booklet has been distributed to every Registry Office throughout the North West of England and features all of their contact details as well as useful information such as:
- Is Civil Partnership the same as marriage?
- Who can register a civil partnership?
- Blessings
- The ceremony
- Location
- Prenuptials
- Benefits and credits
- Civil partners and children
- Civil Partnerships and the workplace
- Wills
- Immigration
- Taxes and pensions
- Partnership rights in other countries
- Dissolution
We would like to congratulate everyone who has taken part in a Civil Ceremony so far and we hope that this guide will prove useful to those who are currently making plans or thinking about registering their civil partnership.
So before booking the honeymoon, lets see what saying ‘I do’ will mean to you and your beloved...
If you would like copies of this resource just email us for more information. We'll need to know where you want them sending to and how many you'd like.
Guide to Civil Partnerships
Released/updated: 2007
Our guide to everything lesbians and gay men need to know about Cilvil Partnerships.
Originally produced a few months after the Civil Partnerships were legal, this booklet was so popular it was updated and reprinted less than 18 months later in 2007 and distributed to every Registry Office in the North West of England and beyond.
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