Conversion of civil partnership to marriage

Couples can convert civil partnerships to marriage. This is applicable to civil partnerships formed in England and Wales.

To do this, couples will need to:

  • attend an appointment in person at the Register office in Reading
  • provide evidence of their identity, address and civil partnership registration.

The conversion will take place when the couple signs a declaration to confirm they have not dissolved their civil partnership and that they both wish to convert their civil partnership to a marriage. The conversion will be registered and a certificate of conversion into marriage will be issued.

You have two options for when and where you sign the declaration:

  1. You can sign at the point your documents are checked
  2. (This next stage has been presented to parliament as an amended proposal) Having attended the initial checking appointment, you can choose to have a celebration ceremony at the Register Office or at any approved venue in Reading. This ceremony can happen on the same day the documents are checked or at a later date of your choosing.
    More information can be found on the GOV.uk website.

Celebrate your commitment to each other in Reading!

While there is no statutory ceremony attached to the conversion – and you and your partner do not go through a marriage ceremony – our ceremony team is proud to offer you and your partner a non-statutory Celebration Ceremony where you can renew your commitment to each other.

To book an appointment for your conversion and to help you arrange your
celebration ceremony, you will need to speak to a member of the Registration Team. Our Contact Centre – reachable at 0118 937 3533 – is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Last updated on 06/12/2019