Notification requirements for civil partnership

Rules

A same-sex couple who wish to enter into a civil partnership are required to give notification in person of their intention to a Registrar at least 3 months before the intended date of the registration. The notification can be given to any Registrar.

When you make the appointment with the Registrar you will be informed what information and documents you need to bring with you. Generally, you and your intended civil partner will be required to bring the following:

• Passports as identification
• Proof of address
• PPS Numbers
• Notification fee
• Original birth certificates (must bear an apostille stamp if not issued by the Civil Registration Service in Ireland)
• Original divorce decree for all previous divorces if either of you is divorced. Further information will be required if it was a foreign divorce and you will require an approved English translation of the divorce decree.
• Original dissolution decree for all previous dissolutions if either of you were in a civil partnership that ended through dissolution.
• Deceased spouse's death certificate and previous civil marriage certificate if either of you is widowed.
• Deceased civil partner's death certificate and previous civil partnership registration certificate if either of you is a surviving civil partner.
• Original decree of nullity and a letter from the relevant court confirming that no appeal was lodged if either of you was in a marriage or a civil partnership that was annulled by an Irish court.

You will also have to provide information about the intended civil partnership registration such as:

• The intended date and location of the registration
• The names and dates of birth of the 2 proposed witnesses

You will also have to pay a notification fee of €150.

Declaration of no impediment

When you meet the Registrar you will be required to sign, in the Registrar's presence, a declaration that you know of no lawful impediment to your proposed civil partnership.

Civil Partnership Registration Form

The Registrar will issue an acknowledgement to both of you confirming the date of receipt of notification. This does not give you approval for a civil partnership.

When all the information required has been supplied and there is no impediment to the marriage, the Registrar will issue you with a Civil Partnership Registration Form (CPRF).

A CPRF gives authorisation for a couple to register a civil partnership and you require one in order to become civil partners in Ireland. If you bring all the documentation and information required to the meeting with the Registrar, the Registrar may be able to issue the CPRF immediately.

If registration of the civil partnership does not take place within 6 months of the date of issuing the CPRF, a new CPRF will be required if you still intend to become civil partners. You will be required to repeat the notification process.

Postal notification

If either of you are living abroad or are unable to attend a Registration Office due to serious illness, you should contact a Registrar to get permission to make your 3 months’ notification by post. If permission is granted, the Registrar will send you a form which you must complete and return.

You will still have to make arrangements to meet the Registrar at least 5 days before the date of civil partnership registration in order to make the declaration. This is required before a Civil Partnership Registration Form can be issued.

Court exemption order

In certain special circumstances, for example, in the case of very serious illness, you may be able to get a court exemption order allowing the civil partnership registration to proceed without the 3 months’ notification. You should contact either the Circuit Family Court or the High Court in the area in which either of you lives for details on how to proceed.

This is an informal procedure. You may apply in person (without hiring a solicitor). There is no court charge for an application for a court exemption order. However, if you hire a solicitor to represent you, you will have to pay him/her. The court will require you to show:

• That there are good reasons for your application
• That the granting of such an exemption order is in the best interests of the parties to the intended civil partnership

If you are granted a court exemption order, you still have to make arrangements to meet the Registrar at least 5 days before you get married in order to make the declaration. This is required before a Civil Partnership Registration Form can be issued.