Civil Partnerships

Civil Partnership Ceremonies

Civil Partnership Ceremonies are conducted by the Registrar and take place in the designated Office venues or in another venue which has been licensed for partnership ceremonies. See: Approved Places for Civil Partnerships.

A Civil Partnership is a relationship between two people, which is formed when they register as civil partners of one another. Two people can register provided:

neither of them is already a civil partner or is legally married
they are 18 or above on the day of the ceremony (consent must be obtained for those aged between 16 and 18)
they are not related to one another in a way that would prevent them from having a civil partnership.

Booking your Civil Partnership Registration

You may make a provisional booking by telephoning the office in the district you wish to have your Civil Partnership in. This will reserve the date, time and the Registrar until official notice is given.

You do not however have to initially make a provisional booking; you may just make a definite booking by completing the following:

How and when to give official notice

Notice of Civil Partnership may be given within 12 months of the date of the Civil Partnership Ceremony.

Documents Needed to Get Married

Before you can have a civil partnership, you and your partner need to complete a Civil Partnership notice form and produce essential documents. www.nidirect.gov.uk/gro

The following documents must be provided by both you and your partner when returning your Civil Partnership notice forms:

your full (long version) birth certificate
your passport or national identity card - the Registrar can advise on alternatives if you do not hold either of these
a consent form (if you are aged 16 or 17.
if you have been married before and it was dissolved, a certificate of divorce or annulment or a certified copy decree (decrees must be absolute or final)
if you have entered into a civil partnership before, a court order of dissolution for that partnership
if you are a widow, widower or surviving civil partner, the death certificate of your former spouse or civil partner.

All documents must be in English otherwise a translated copy must also be shown.

Once completed you can email notice forms and relevant documents to registration@nmandd.org or post notice forms and photocopied documents to the Registration Department at Newry Town Hall, Bank Parade, Newry, BT35 6HR or Downshire Civic Centre, Ardglass Road, Downpatrick, BT30 6GQ.

Please do not post original documents. Payment can be made by cheque, payable to Newry Mourne and Down District Council, or card payment by phoning 033 0137 4041.

If you need any advice in relation to your wedding, please email registration@nmandd.org or telephone 033 0137 4041

The fees should be accompanied by the Notice Forms and all required documents.

Once the Registration Office receives the two notice forms, fees and documents, the Notice takes effect from that date. Then, the earliest possible Civil Partnership registration would be 28 days later (depending on availability and circumstances).

Essential documents to be produced

a Full Birth Certificate (long version) showing parents details
your passport or Identity card
if you are a widow, widower or surviving civil partner, the death certificate of your former spouse or civil partner
if divorced - a decree absolute or a dissolution of Civil Partnership Certificate. A decree nisi is not acceptable
if reverted to a maiden name - the last marriage certificate must be produced
if 16 or 17 years – Consent. Consent Forms are available from the Registrar.

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If you are a non-EEA citizen, please read NI Direct’s Information on have a Civil Partnership in Northern Ireland for further information on the requirements.

Contact Details

Email: registration@nmandd.org

Telephone: 0330 137 4041