Saturday 29 March 2014 was a big day for the LGBT community – and congratulations to all of those planning to take advantage of the provisions in the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act and convert their Civil Partnership to Marriage!
Since December 2014, couples have been able to convert their existing civil partnership into a marriage. Here‘s what the government has to say about converting your Civil Partnership to Marriage.
Same-Sex Weddings Overseas
It is worth mentioning that if you married your same-sex partner overseas and had been treated as civil partners you are now automatically treated as being married in this country. This particular provision of the Act came into force on 13 March 2014.
Gay Marriage UK: Converting Your Civil Partnership to Marriage (UK)
You will be able to convert your civil partnership to marriage in one of two different ways:
- a simple conversion at a local register office or local authority office; or
- a civil partnership conversion by a superintendent registrar at another approved venue accompanied by a ceremony
If you are already in a civil partnership entered into in England and Wales (not overseas), the good news is that you will be able to convert your civil partnership to marriage if you wish to do so.
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The slightly less good news is that nobody knows when you will be able to do that or what that process will entail. This is because the relevant regulations have not yet been made.
Both of those questions will hopefully be resolved over the next few months and the current indication from Equalities Minister Helen Grant is that you will be able to convert your Civil Partnership by the end of 2014.
Fortunately, it is anticipated that the process will be relatively straightforward. Incidentally, it is also hoped that married people wanting to change their gender and obtain their gender recognition certificate whilst remaining married will be able to do so by the end of the year.
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Dissolving Your Civil Partnership to Get Married
If you and your civil partner are particularly anxious to get married now, then it appears that you would first need to dissolve your Civil Partnership.
Do get legal advice if you are considering this option – with the paperwork and timescale involved with dissolution, you might find your wedding day would be earlier only by a matter week than it would have been otherwise under the conversion process.
You may also prefer to spend the money spent on a dissolution at the wedding itself!