Converting A Civil Partnership To Marriage

From Wednesday December 10th 2014, couples who have previously registered as civil partners in England and Wales will be able to convert their partnership to marriage.

Following a public consultation over the summer, the Government is still amending details to expand the scope of the conversion process.

This last-minute fine tuning should strike a balance between a simpler, common sense system of conversion whilst simultaneously accommodating couples who might like the option of an additional ceremony.

There are likely two be two options:

Simple conversion: Two partners sign a declaration in front of a registrar. This is about as low-key as it gets: no pomp, no circumstance just a meeting with an official.

2-step conversion: Two partners sign a declaration in front of a registrar and then have some sort of ceremony built around it. This option is more similar to a wedding or civil partnership ceremony.

Couples will receive a marriage certificate which will be dated from the day of the original civil partnership i.e,

If a civil partnership took place on January 10th 2009

And the conversion takes place on December 19th 2014

                           Then the marriage certificate will be dated January 10th 2009.

How Do We Convert A Civil Partnership To Marriage?



  • You do not need to complete your conversion at the same register office as your original civil partnership.
  • You will need to make an appointment to see a registrar. You can book appointments now, but your first opportunity to attend one will be Wednesday December 10th.
  • Both you and your partner will need to be in attendance.
  • You will need to decide what type of conversion you would prefer: a simple or a two-step conversion.
  • You'll need to take ID: passport, photographic driver's licence or a birth certificate. You'll also need proof of address: utility bill, bank statement etc as well as your civil partnership certificate.
If your civil partnership took place before March 29th 2014, then a simple conversion will be free. Otherwise, the conversion is likely to cost £45. If you would like a two-stage conversion (ceremony) then the fees will resemble those you'd expect to pay for a civil partnership or marriage ceremony. Contact your local register office for more details.

Oh, and remember to order your marriage certificate on the day. It's cheaper than ordering it after the event.

We'll be keeping you updated with any new developments both on here and through our social media channels. Additionally, we've already written posts about civil partnerships, whether couples should consider marriage over civil partnerships, and whether or not same-sex couples can have religious ceremonies.






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