Is there a difference between a civil partnership and a marriage?
A brief summary of the differences are as follows:
- Married couples cannot call themselves civil partners for legal purposes and civil partners cannot call themselves married.
- Marriage is solemnised by saying a prescribed form of words (vows) whereas civil partnerships are registered by signing the civil partnership document.
- The administrative process is similar, although marriages are registered on paper and civil partnership are recorded in an electronic register.
- Marriages can be conducted through a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony. Civil partnerships are an entirely civil event.
- Marriages are ended by divorce whereas civil partnerships are ended by dissolution. Both are fundamentally the same and require that the marriage or civil partnership has broken down irretrievably. A key difference is that adultery cannot be relied on to dissolve a civil partnership but can in a marriage – only if the adultery has occurred between two people of the opposite sex. Same sex adultery is not yet recognised in law.
Fundamentally, there is no difference in how the law is applied upon relationship breakdown. The same principles apply to financial claims upon divorce or dissolution; therefore, this should not influence your decision.
For any more information about anything in the article, please contact Anita Scorah in our family team.
Is there a difference between a civil partnership and a marriage?
A brief summary of the differences are as follows:
- Married couples cannot call themselves civil partners for legal purposes and civil partners cannot call themselves married.
- Marriage is solemnised by saying a prescribed form of words (vows) whereas civil partnerships are registered by signing the civil partnership document.
- The administrative process is similar, although marriages are registered on paper and civil partnership are recorded in an electronic register.
- Marriages can be conducted through a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony. Civil partnerships are an entirely civil event.
- Marriages are ended by divorce whereas civil partnerships are ended by dissolution. Both are fundamentally the same and require that the marriage or civil partnership has broken down irretrievably. A key difference is that adultery cannot be relied on to dissolve a civil partnership but can in a marriage – only if the adultery has occurred between two people of the opposite sex. Same sex adultery is not yet recognised in law.
Fundamentally, there is no difference in how the law is applied upon relationship breakdown. The same principles apply to financial claims upon divorce or dissolution; therefore, this should not influence your decision.
For any more information about anything in the article, please contact Anita Scorah in our family team.