Away from home

Partnership rights in other countries

Certain same-sex relationships legally registered under foreign law will be treated as having being formed as a Civil Partnership in the UK. If this is the case, there is no need to re-register the partnership in the UK. The Netherlands were the first country to extend equal partnership rights to same sex couples. Belgium was second. Two provinces in Canada followed suit (British Columbia and Ontario). Vermont in USA, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain offer similar legal status to civil unions. Please note: The situation is changing rapidly, as significant changes seem to be happening every month.

Registering abroad

If you have general enquiries about forming a Civil Partnership abroad, contact the Embassy or High Commission in the country concerned. You may be asked to provide a certificate of no impediment, available from your local authority. An Apostile may also be required. This is a formal confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a document is genuine. In this regard, contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Away from home

If you want to register your partnership in a different place to where you live, contact the desired register office to arrange a date with the registrar and venue and let your local authority know.

For a full list of register offices visit the General Register Office website.