Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Civil partnership definition

What does Civil partnership mean? A civil partnership is a legally recognised relationship formed by registration that gives a couple rights and obligations broadly equivalent to marriage, including in property ownership, succession, pensions, tax treatment, immigration status and parental responsibility. It is commonly used as an alternative to marriage in family, private client and pensions practice. In England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, civil partnerships are created and dissolved under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (as amended). Since 2019–2020, both same-sex and opposite-sex couples may register. In Scotland, civil partnerships are governed by the 2004 Act as adapted and the Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2020;...

Civil Partnerships in England and Wales: Definition, Formalities, Eligibility (including opposite-sex couples), Minimum Age 18, Overseas Recognition, Dissolution, and Comparison with Marriage

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Practice notes

This Practice Note considers how civil partnership is defined in the Civil Partnership Act 2004, reflecting amendments effective from 2 December 2019 that extend it to opposite-sex couples. It outlines the formal steps required to enter into a civil partnership

Definition

On enactment of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (CPA 2004), civil partnerships were confined to two people of the same sex.

From 2 December 2019, the Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) Regulations 2019 (CP(O-sC)R 2019), SI 2019/1458, took effect and the CPA 2004 eligibility rules were changed to permit opposite-sex couples to register a civil partnership in England and Wales.

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 (MCP(MA)A 2022), in force from 27 February 2023, further amends CPA 2004 by raising the minimum age for a civil partnership to 18 (rather than 16), thereby removing the former provisions enabling 16–17-year-olds to enter a civil partnership with parental or judicial consent (see: LNB News 10/08/2022 22).

The widening of civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples followed campaigning to make them accessible to such couples, some of whom prefer not to marry for personal reasons...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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