Civil Partnership latest.........

Implementation Date Announced

The government has announced an official implementation date of The Civil Partnership Register as 5th December 2005, allowing same–sex couples to sign the register from
21st December 2005 onwards.

The gap between the two dates allows for the required 15–day waiting period and the first Civil Partnership register signings will take place before Christmas 2005.

Couples can also arrange to have a Civil Partnership Ceremony to accompany the signing, although the ceremony is not a provision of the Act and therefore not provided as standard.

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 received Royal Assent on 18 November 2004; This means that the legislation passed all its stages in Parliament at that point and has since become law, allowing same–sex couples to register their partnership in the eyes of the law.

This time gap from November 2004 to December 2005 allows all the administrative and operational changes to be made and implemented, e.g. necessary paperwork and forms, changes to the tax and benefits computer systems and registrars trained in the new procedures.

The Act will allow same–sex couples, who wish to have legal recognition of their partnership, to sign the register and have similar rights to married heterosexual couples.

For more information about the legal obligations introduced with the Civil Partnership Act please take a look at the Stonewall website.