Summary
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 created civil partnerships as a legal status for same-sex couples, giving them equivalent rights and obligations to married couples in areas including property, inheritance, pensions, and immigration. Since the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, same-sex couples can also marry.
Key Points
- Civil partnerships available to same-sex couples (extended to opposite-sex couples in 2019)
- Formation by registration — no religious ceremony required
- Same legal rights as marriage: property, next of kin, inheritance, pensions
- Dissolution procedure mirrors divorce
- Financial provision on dissolution same as matrimonial proceedings
- Civil partners recognised for immigration purposes
Parts & Sections
Amendments History
2019 — Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019
Extended civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples.