Entering into a civil partnership

Civil partnerships enable couples to get legal recognition of their relationship without having to get married. They originally applied only to same-sex couples, but have since been extended to opposite-sex couples in England & Wales (December 2019), Northern Ireland (January 2020) and Scotland (June 2021).

Civil partners have equal treatment to married couples in a wide range of legal matters, including:

• Tax, including Inheritance Tax
• Employment benefits
• Most state and occupational pension benefits
• Income-related benefits, tax credits and child support
• Duty to provide reasonable maintenance for your civil partner and any children of the family
• Ability to apply for parental responsibility for your civil partner's child (England and Wales only)
• Inheritance of a tenancy agreement
• Recognition under intestacy rules
• Access to damages or compensation
• Protection from domestic violence
• Recognition for immigration and nationality purposes

Minimum age for entering into a civil partnership

The minimum age at which you can enter into a civil partnership varies, depending on where you live:

• In England and Wales, you can enter into a civil partnership from the age of 16 if you have parental consent. Without parental consent, you can enter into a civil partnership at 18. A law has been passed to remove the 'aged 16' option, but is not yet in force.
• In Northern Ireland, you can enter into a civil partnership from the age of 16 if you have parental consent. Without parental consent, you can enter into a civil partnership at 18.
• In Scotland, you can enter into a civil partnership from the age of 16, with or without parental consent.

Considerations before entering into a civil partnership

There are many things to consider before entering into a civil partnership, such as:

• Do you need to consider whether you should enter into a Pre-civil partnership agreement before registering your civil partnership?
• Does one or both of you wish to change your name (Changing your name), or that of a minor (child) (Changing the name of a minor), following your civil partnership?
• When do you want to register your civil partnership, taking into consideration the time it takes to give notice (Giving notice)?
• Do you wish to have a ceremony (Registering your civil partnership)?

In this section of the law guide, we explore all of these issues relating to entering into a civil partnership. Click on the links on the left hand side of the page to find out more information on all of these topics relating to your civil partnership.