The law allowing same sex couples to register a Civil Partnerships came into force on 5 December 2005. Couples wishing to form a Civil Partnership can give notice of their partnership at their local Register Office from that date.

The Civil Partnership Act legally recognises same sex relationships and bring about important rights for couples including:

• Employment and pension benefits
• Recognition under intestacy rules
• Access to fatal accidents compensation
• Recognition for immigration and nationality purposes
• A duty to provide reasonable maintenance for civil partners and any children of the family
• Civil partners to be assessed in the same way as spouses for child support
• Equitable treatment for the purposes of life assurance
• Registering a civil partnership will usually revoke a will

Giving notice for a Civil Partnership

Please note, if you are a non-EU citizen, and subject to immigration control, the procedure is different. You can get more information from the Home Office Immigration website.

Giving notice for a Civil Partnership is very much like giving a notice to get married:

• You must both have lived a minimum of 7 days in a Registration authority in England or Wales immediately before giving notice at that office.
• You can give the notice a maximum of 12 months in advance of your partnership date, and a minimum of 15 days before.
• You must both be of the same sex and over 18 years of age (if under that age you will need parental consent, and must be aged 16 or over).
• You must be free to form the partnership i.e. not in an existing marriage or civil partnership.

Both of you must attend to give notice. This should be done by making an appointment to attend at the same time.

Documents you will need

The documents you will need are the same as for marriages.

Ceremonies

You will not have to have a ceremony to recognise your civil partnership. You could simply arrange to sign the partnership in the presence of the registrar and two witnesses.

You may have a ceremony if you wish and couples can personalise the event with their own choices of readings, poems, personal declarations and music, as is the case for marriages.

Fees

The fee to give notice is set nationally by the Registrar General and is £33.50 each.

We offer the same venues and prices for partnerships as we do for marriages.

From 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012

We offer two rooms in the Bootham Suite.  The larger room will seat 50 comfortably and will cost £180 Monday to Thursday and £250 on Friday and Saturday.  The smaller room is upstairs and has a guest limit of 8.  It costs £100 Monday to Thursday and £130 on Friday and Saturday.  The register office has a guest limit of 2 and will cost £43.50 Monday to Thursday only.

The fee for attending approved venues is £410 Monday to Thursday and £475 on Friday and Saturday and £520 Sundays and Bank Holidays.

This is in addition to the notice fee and is totally separate to any fee charged by the venue themselves.

When making a provisional booking there is a non-refundable charge of £50.  The £50 will be deducted from the fee for the ceremony.

Please make postal orders payable to 'City of York Council' or pay by card.  We do no accept cheques. 

Booking

Contact us to make a booking.