Civil Partnerships

If you are facing the dissolution of a civil partnership, it is important to bear in mind that civil partners have essentially the same legal rights and obligations as married spouses going through a divorce:

• You must have been in your civil partnership for at least a year in order to begin the dissolution process.
• The grounds for dissolving the civil partnership must be that the relationship has ‘irretrievably broken down’.
• From 6^th April 2022, all you and/or your partner must do to prove that the relationship has irretrievably broken down, is make a signed statement to that effect when applying to dissolve the civil partnership.  You no longer have to point to evidence that it has broken down (such as unreasonable behaviour or separation).
• You must wait 20 weeks from your application until further steps can be taken. This can offer you the chance to reconsider your wishes.
• When the 20-week period is up, you will need to confirm that you want to proceed before the dissolution can continue.
• If so, the court will issue a Conditional Order – essentially stating that it does not see any reason why the civil partnership cannot be dissolved.
• 6 weeks later this can be finalised into the Final Order, which will bring the civil partnership to an end.

The legal process can be relatively straightforward. Even if one partner does not want to dissolve the civil partnership they cannot legally contest or prevent it. However, complications are more likely to arise when it comes to dividing joint assets and money.

Similarly, if you and your partner have any children together, they may give rise to other areas of dispute. Truth Legal’s specialist family solicitors can advise you fully on matters of child law in relation to the dissolution of a civil partnership.