The fees relating to certificates, notice of marriage and corrections are statutory charges set by the Registrar General for England and Wales and can be viewed on the government website.
Same-sex couples can have their relationships legally recognised through a civil partnership.
Arranging a civil partnership ceremony
Civil partnerships can take place at a number of venues in Wirral
Booking a date for your civil partnership ceremony
- Email rbdm@wirral.gov.uk to book a provisional date. Dates are available up to 2 years in advance
- There is a £45 non-refundable booking fee to secure the date and time. Please note, this is not a deposit and is not removed from the final balance
- Your provisional booking will be held for three months
- Once both partners have given their notice of civil partnership this will be used to confirm the booking
- A ceremony is not a legal requirement. Once the couple has signed the Civil Partnership Schedule in the presence of two witnesses the civil partnership is formed
Giving notice of a civil partnership
Notice of civil partnership cannot be given until a provisional booking has been confirmed.
Each partner must personally give a notice of civil partnership to the Superintendent Registrar. You should give notice in the district in which you have lived for at least 8 days prior to giving notice, even if you are having the ceremony or signing the register in another district.
If this is Wirral, email rbdm@wirral.gov.uk to make an appointment.
You can give your notice a minimum of 28 days before signing the register and a maximum of 12 months before. The notice is only valid for the venue specified. If this changes you would need to give, and pay for, new notices.
Cost for giving notice of civil partnership
£42 per person (£84 per couple).
Information you will need to provide
When you give your notice you will need to provide a number of documents:
- A passport (or a birth certificate if a passport is not available)
- If you were born after 1 January 1983 and you are providing a birth certificate you must also provide your mother’s birth certificate.
- Proof of address (a recent Council Tax bill, utility bill, bank statement or a driving licence dated no more than three months from the date of notice)
- If either party has been in a marriage or civil partnership previously, you will need to provide evidence of the dissolution (a certified copy of the decree absolute)
- If either party is widowed, you will need to produce a certified copy of the death certificate
Special licenses
If you or your partner has a terminal illness it is possible to get a licence to marry or form a civil partnership very quickly without having to give the usual statutory notices.
Email rbdm@wirral.gov.uk for more information.
Statutory ceremonies at Birkenhead Town Hall
These ceremonies will take place on Wednesdays at 9am, 9:30am, 10am and 10:30am subject to availability.
A statutory ceremony is a simple legal ceremony. The parties will be asked that they understand that on signing the civil partnership schedule they are entering into a legal partnership with each other and they reply 'yes'. There is strictly no provision for additional guests, music, or ceremony embellishment.
The ceremony will take place in the Superintendent’s Office, the room capacity only allows for the 2 parties forming a civil partnership and 2 witness. (The witnesses must be over the age of 16 and able to understand English). Register Office staff are unable to act as witnesses.
The Statutory ceremony fee is £57. This includes one civil partnership certificate, which will be posted out approximately 7 to 10 days following the ceremony.
Notice of intention to form a civil partnership must be completed through your local council 3 to 4 months before the marriage date and is in addition to the £57 ceremony fee. Please read the notice information regarding documents that must be produced. The notice fee is £70 per couple. Once notice is given, the date and time of the marriage will be arranged.
If you or your partner do not have the appropriate immigration status the Home Office will automatically be notified, the notice period could be extended to 70 days while they investigate. The notice fee is £94 per couple.
Accommodation in Wirral
Wirral offers a range of quality accommodation to suit all budgets.