Dissolving a Civil Partnership:

Civil partnership dissolution is for same-sex couples who have formed a legally recognised civil partnership which has ended. The process is very similar to obtaining a divorce. To disolve your partnership you will need to issue a petition proving to the court that the partnership has irretrievably broken down. To do this you will need to provide evidence of one of the following:

There is no ground for adultery on the dissolution of a civil partnership. As with divorce one year must have passed from the date that you entered into your civil partnership before you can apply to the court for a dissolution. If you feel unable to provide information to allow you to pursue one of the above grounds at this time we can advise you with regard to a Separation Deed, as an alternative allowing you to deal with your financial matters straight away. You can then pursue a dissolution at a later date.

If you have children under the age of 16 (or between 16 and 18 in full-time education), you will need to complete an additional form giving details about your children such as:

The Statements of Arrangements for Children is basically information for the court to make sure that the children are properly provided for.

Dissolution as with divorce is a court process, although it can be dealt with on an uncontested basis if you and your partner cooperate. At the end of the process you will receive the Final Dissolution Order ending your civil partnership. We would recommend that you also read the information on this website about Getting Divorced for more information as the process is very similar.

On average it takes approximately four to six months to obtain a Final Dissolution Order. This estimate will depend on your own circumstances, how cooperative your partner is and how busy your local court is.

There are currently 10 courts in Engalnd and Wales that can provide a dissolution service, these are: