You can convert your civil partnership into a marriage if it was registered in England or Wales, or overseas according to the law of England and Wales.
There are two ways to convert a civil partnership into a marriage:
a) an administrative process called a 'standard conversion'
b) a two stage process where the conversion is followed by a ceremony
The standard conversion
This is a simple administrative process where you will both attend an appointment at any register office and complete a declaration with details about you and your civil partnership. The documents that you will need to produce include:
- evidence of your name and date of birth - current passports or birth certificates
- evidence of your address - recent Council Tax or utilities bill
- an original civil partnership certificate
A legal declaration will then be drawn up for you to both sign with the Superintendent Registrar.
A conversion followed by a ceremony
There are two stages to this type of conversion.
The first part is where you will both need to attend an appointment at the register office and complete a declaration with details about you and your civil partnership. The documents that you will need to produce include:
- evidence of your name and date of birth - current passports or birth certificates
- evidence of your address - recent Council Tax or utilities bill
- an original civil partnership certificate
The second stage is the signing of the declaration, which can be followed by a ceremony and can take place at venues where same-sex couples are able to marry. For example:
- register office
- approved premises
- religious buildings that are registered for the marriage of same sex couples
Following the ceremony your marriage is registered, and a marriage certificate can then be issued. Your marriage certificate can either be collected or posted.
Fees and charges
The fee you will need to pay will depend on whether you choose the standard conversion or the conversion followed by a ceremony.
Contact the register office for more details.