End a civil partnership
Before you apply
You must decide whether you want to make a joint application with your partner or whether you want to apply on your own.
It normally takes at least 6 months to end a civil partnership. This is the same for joint and sole applications.
Making a joint application with your partner
You can make a joint application if both of the following apply:
- you both agree that you should end your civil partnership
- you’re not at risk of domestic abuse
You’ll need to decide if you want to apply online or by post. Your partner needs to use the same application method.
You’ll both have to separately confirm that you want to continue with the application at each stage of the process.
If your partner stops responding, you’ll be able to continue with the application as a sole applicant.
If you want to apply for help with paying the fee, both of you must be eligible to qualify.
Applying to end a civil partnership on your own
Make a sole application if either of the following apply:
- your partner does not agree to end the civil partnership
- you do not think your partner will cooperate or respond to notifications from the court
You will need to confirm you want to continue with the application at each stage of the process.