Clackmannanshire Council Online

Civil Partnership in Scotland

Civil Partnership in Scotland

The Civil Partnership Act 2004, which applies throughout the UK and came into force on 5 December 2005, allows same sex couples to register a civil partnership. 

On 28 July 2020, the Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2020 became law. This Act makes provision for mixed sex couples to register a civil partnership.  

From 1 June 2021, it will be possible to submit notice of intention to enter a mixed sex civil partnership in Scotland. A notice period of 28 clear days is required, which means that mixed sex civil partnerships could take place from 30 June 2021 onwards.  While 28 clear days is the minimum notice period required, it is advisable for couples to give 10 to 12 weeks notice of their intention to register a civil partnership.

Please contact the Registration Office if you would like more information or to make a booking.

Who can register a Civil Partnership?

Any 2 persons, regardless of where they live, may register a civil partnership in Scotland provided that:

• both persons are at least 16 years of age on the day they wish to register their civil partnership,
• they are not related to one another in a way which would prevent their registering their civil partnership,
• each is unmarried or not already registered as a civil partner,
• they are capable of understanding the nature of what it is to register a civil partnership and of consenting to do so.

You can read more about mixed-sex civil partnership on the Scottish Government website.

Converting a registered civil partnership into a marriage

Please see the following guidance from National Records of Scotland on how to change a civil partnership into a marriage.

Converting a marriage into a civil partnership

The Scottish Government is preparing regulations which will allow married couples to change (convert) their marriage to a civil partnership if they so wish.  It is intended that these regulations should be introduced in late 2021.

 

The Celebrant - who can perform our civil partnership ceremony?

A civil partnership may be registered by a district registrar or an assistant registrar or a religious or belief celebrant who has been authorised by the Registrar General for that purpose or whose religious or belief body has been prescribed in regulations under the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

More information

For more information, please refer to the web pages below:

• Legal preliminaries to marriage/civil partnership in Scotland
• Documents required