When and where?
Your ceremony is important to us and we want to make it special
for you. A civil partnership ceremony may be held at the register
office or in one of several licensed venues which are approved for
ceremonies. Provisionally booking the date and time of your
ceremony up to a year in advance will give you greater choice of
dates and times. To make arrangements for a ceremony at a licensed
venue you will need to co-ordinate the date and time with both your
chosen venue and the register office, so that two registrars are
available to take the ceremony and complete the partnership
schedule.
What do I need to do?
There are legal requirements to fulfil. You are required to
complete civil preliminaries by giving a "notice of partnership" to
the register office in the district in which you have lived for the
past seven days. This can be no earlier than one year, or no later
than sixteen days, before the date of the ceremony. We urge you not
to leave it to sixteen days before in case the paperwork is not
complete and we are unable to take the notice.
What happens next?
For the notice of partnership you will need to:
Make an appointment by contacting Peterborough Register
Office.
- Both attend together
- Provide TWO identity documents for each person. These must be a
full birth certificate or current passport (or both), plus a
current driving licence or medical card. One of the documents must
be a passport or full birth certificate (showing parents’ details)
in order to prove your nationality. If you were born after 1
January 1983 and do not have a passport then you will need to
provide your full birth certificate as well as the full birth
certificates of your parents. Please ring us here at the Register
Office for further advice and guidance if in any
doubt.
- Provide proof of address to confirm that you have been resident
in our district for the seven days immediately before the notice
appointment.
- Provide proof of divorce (original decree absolute or a
certificated copy only from the court) or proof of death of
previous spouse (death certificate and marriage certificate) if
previously married.
- Provide eligibility to enter into a civil partnership if
necessary (see below).
- Proof of name change, if applicable
- Confirm the venue. If the venue is changed after the notice has
been given a new notice must be given
- Pay a non-returnable fee of £30 each to the registrar
- All documents should be in English or accompanied by a
translation.
- Please bring a translator to the appointment, if either of you
does not understand English well.
- If you are under 18 years old please contact us.
- If you are not from an E.U. country, please contact the
Home
Office on 0800 606 7766 to see if you need further
documentation or visit
their website. In this case notice of partnership must be given
at a designated register office and Peterborough is such an
office.
- If you wish to have a partnership ceremony abroad, please
contact the appropriate embassy or consulate for advice.
- If you are in any doubt as to which documents will be required
or need further information on your civil partnership, please
contact Peterborough Register Office.
The ceremony cannot go ahead unless all the legal formalities
have been completed.
Ceremony in a licensed venue
If your ceremony is at a licensed venue, we will ask you to make
an appointment to see us one month before the ceremony to tell us
your choice of ceremony and to pay the fees for two registrars to
attend.
The fees for registrars attending a licensed venue are:
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For ceremonies held:
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Monday to Friday
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Saturday to Sunday
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Up to and including 31 March 2010
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£300
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£350
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1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011
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£325
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£375
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1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 (proposed)
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£350
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£400
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1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 (proposed)
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£375
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£425
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Two registrars will attend on the day of the ceremony. We will
discuss and agree the ceremony arrangements with you when you pay
the fees in advance. Please discuss enhancements to the ceremony
with the venue manager.
Ceremony at the register office
If your partnership ceremony is at the register office,
then after your appointment, you will be given a ceremony pack
containing information about your day and details of the choices we
can offer you for your ceremony. We will also show you the ceremony
room. There is free car parking available and an old stone archway
in the gardens as a setting for photographs following the ceremony.
The building is easily accessible for ceremonies with all rooms on
the ground floor, double doors and facilities for the disabled.
Other than welcoming disability assistance dogs, we do not allow
animals in the building.
Due to the design of the building, we are unable to avoid you
being seen by your guests on the day, but it may be possible to
ensure that you are not seen by each other. You are welcome to
bring a photographer and also have a video of your ceremony taken
if you wish (using a battery-operated video camera).
The Ceremony Room
Peterborough
has an elegant ceremony room seating 30 guests and the silk flowers
are changed with the seasons. A loop hearing system enhances the
ceremony for the hard of hearing. We have a music system available
if you wish to enhance your ceremony with music. You can also add
to your ceremony by making an entrance, the best man/woman bringing
forward the rings or a short reading. This should be discussed and
agreed beforehand with the Superintendent Registrar when we take
the notice and should not include anything of a religious
nature.
View the register office ceremony room using our virtual
tour:
Witnesses
You will be required to have two witnesses present to witness
that the vows have been repeated and to sign the register. These
witnesses must be aged over 18 years and speak and understand
English.
Fees
For ceremonies at the Register Office up to and including 28
February 2010: £40 per ceremony.
Important changes to ceremony fees after 1 March 2010:
The ceremony room at the Register Office will offer small and
intimate ceremonies for you and up to eight guests at a fee of £40
per ceremony.
“The Lawns” ceremony room will allow seating for you and up to
30 guests and offer a range of choices to allow you to enhance and
personalise your ceremony.
The fee for a ceremony at “The Lawns” from 01 March 2010 – 31
March 2011 is:
- Monday – Thursday: £160 per ceremony
- Friday and Saturday: £200 per ceremony
The proposed fee for a ceremony at “The Lawns” from 01 April
2011 – 31 March 2012:
- Monday – Thursday: £170 per ceremony
- Friday and Saturday: £220 per ceremony
The proposed fee for a ceremony at “The Lawns” from 01 April
2012 – 31 March 2013:
- Monday – Thursday: £180 per ceremony
- Friday and Saturday: £240 per ceremony
Certificates
A full civil partnership certificate or an extract certificate
(which excludes the couples' address) is available for £3.50 if
requested in advance or on the day. Certificates applied for after
the ceremony day will cost £7.00 each.
Useful links