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?
After you have provisionally booked your ceremony with us, there
are legal requirements to fulfil before the booking can be
confirmed. 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. We prefer that you give a notice of partnership
within a month of booking the provisional ceremony date.
What happens next?
You will need to make an appointment by contacting Peterborough Register
Office and:
- Both attend the appointment together (if you both live in this
district)
- 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.
- 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 notice fee of £33.50
each
- Pay the full fee that is applicable to
your ceremony (as advised by the Registrar at time of
booking). Please note our cancellation and amendment policy as
detailed below. We accept payment by cash or cheque/postal order or
credit/debit card (payment by credit/debit card is subject to a £1
administration charge)
- 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, then you may only be
able to give your notice of partnership at a specially designated
register office and Peterborough is such an office. Please contact
us for further guidance.
- 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.
Ceremonies at a licensed venue
If your ceremony is at a licensed venue 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 ask you to make an appointment
to see us again one month before the ceremony so we can
discuss the choices and arrangements you have made
for your special day ..
The fees for the two registrars to attend at a licensed venue
are:
| For ceremonies held: |
Monday to
Friday |
Saturday and
Sunday |
| Up to 31 March 2012 |
£350 |
£400 |
| 01 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 (proposed) |
£375 |
£425 |
Ceremonies at the Register Office
We offer you a choice of two ceremony rooms here at
Peterborough - "The Lawns" room or the Register Office
room.
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 that you have chosen. 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 depending on the
ceremony room you have chosen. 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 Lawns" Ceremony Room
This is an
elegant room seating up to 30 guests
and offers a range of choices so that you can
personalise and enhance your ceremony. The silk flower
arrangements are changed with the seasons and 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 choice of 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 Lawns" ceremony room using our virtual tour:
The Register Office ceremony room
This ceremony room seats up to six guests and offers you an
intimate and less
formal ceremony.
Fees
Register Office: The fee for a ceremony in
the Register Office
ceremony room is £40.
"The Lawns":
| For ceremonies held in "The
Lawns": |
Monday to Thursday |
Friday and Saturday |
| Up to 31 March 2012 |
£170 |
£220 |
| 01 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 (proposed) |
£180 |
£240 |
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 £9.00 each.
Witnesses
For all ceremonies you will be required to have two witnesses
present to witness that the vows have been repeated and to sign the
partnership schedule. These witnesses must be aged over 18 years
and speak and understand English.
Cancellation and amendment policy
In the event that you need to cancel a ceremony for which you
have already paid, you will be required to provide your request in
writing and it will be subject to the following
guidelines:
Six months or more notice of cancellation - full refund (less a
£20 administration fee)
Three to six months notice of cancellation - 50% refund (less a
£20 administration fee)
Less than three months notice of cancellation (or failure to
cancel) - no refund
In the event that you need to change the DATE of your
ceremony:
A £20 administration fee will be payable
In the event that you need to change the TIME (but not
the date) of your ceremony:
No administration fee will be payable.
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