Civil Partnerships
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Make it personal
With a civil partnership you can design your own ceremony to be personal to you. Cornwall Registration Service have developed some
ceremony choices and they are also happy to help you design your own form of words. You can add your own music and readings to the
ceremony whether you choose a register office or a civil venue. The choices you make should be checked with the Registrar in advance
of the ceremony as the Civil Partnership Act prevents any religious service from taking place during the statutory steps leading to
the formation of the civil partnership.
Name change
You can change your surname to that of your partner’s or you could hyphenate your names. Government departments and agencies
such as the Passport Agency and the DVLA will accept civil partnership certificates in the same way that they accept marriage
certificates as evidence for changing names.
Civil Partnership Certificate
The Registrar will be able to issue you with a Civil Partnership certificate once it is recorded onto the electronic register.
This may not be on the day of the registration but every effort is made to issue the certificate as soon as possible.
There is a small charge for these certificates.
Make it legal
You must both have lived in any district in England or Wales for seven days before the date you give notice of your civil partnership.
It does not matter if either of you moves to a different address once you have given notice. For a civil partnership the registration
can take place either in the register office or any licensed premises. Once you have given notice, you must wait 15 clear days before
holding your civil parnership ceremony. The notice is publicly displayed in the register office for this period.
The couple will be required to produce passports or birth certificates and one other identity document as well as utility bill, rent or council
tax document, as proof or residence. Where applicable, confirmation of marital status will be required either with a death
certificate or divorce decree. An authority must be issued for each person after the 15 clear days has elapsed. If you marry outside
the district where you have given notice, the authorities must be collected as these are legal documents allowing the marriage to take place.
You must give the authorities to the Superintendent Registrar where the marriage is to take place. Authorities are valid for 12 months from the date of notice.