Guidance

Registering a civil partnership at a British embassy, high commission or consulate

How to arrange a consular civil partnership, including giving notice, what to bring to the ceremony and which countries offer the service.

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published
3 April 2024
Last updated
6 September 2024 — See all updates

You can register a civil partnership at a British embassy, high commission or consulate abroad if:

  • local laws do not allow you and your partner to register a civil partnership
  • local authorities have given us permission and we follow their requirements

This is sometimes called a consular civil partnership. 

In some countries you can get a consular marriage.

How to arrange a consular civil partnership

  1. Make sure you understand all the eligibility requirements of registering a civil partnership in your chosen country.
  2. Contact the embassy, high commission or consulate to book an appointment to give notice and set a provisional date for your ceremony.
  3. Attend your appointment to give notice of your civil partnership.
  4. Wait 14 days while your notice is displayed.
  5. If no one objects, attend your ceremony within 3 months of your first appointment.

Giving notice of your civil partnership

You will:

  1. Make a declaration that you’re free to register a civil partnership.
  2. Sign a legal statement at the embassy, high commission or consulate to say you intend to register a civil partnership. This is known as ‘giving notice’. 

You must be living in the country you’re registering a civil partnership in for 7 full days before you can give notice.

It costs £50 to give notice and you’ll need to pay with a debit or credit card. If both you and your partner are British nationals, you’ll both need to give notice and pay £50 each.

You need to bring:

  • your passport
  • your partner’s passport or national identity card
  • proof that you’ve been in the country for 7 days (for example, a bank statement, flight or train ticket or passport stamp)
  • payment (check with the embassy, high commission or consulate which payment methods they accept)

If your partner is not British, they’ll need to bring documentation from their embassy or government that they’re free to register a civil partnership.

If you or your partner have been married or in a civil partnership before, you’ll need one of the following:

Your consular civil partnership will be registered under the law of England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. You’ll need to say at this appointment which UK country you want to register under.

The embassy, high commission or consulate will display your notice publicly for 14 days. If nobody makes an objection, you can agree a date for your consular civil partnership within 3 months of your first appointment.

What you’ll need to do for the ceremony

Your civil partnership ceremony will be at the embassy, high commission or consulate on the date you agreed.

You’ll need to bring 2 witnesses. You, your partner and your 2 witnesses will sign the civil partnership register. Your witnesses must:

  • bring photo ID
  • be 16 or over
  • know you or your partner
  • know English well enough to follow the ceremony and understand the documents they have to sign

It costs £150 to register your civil partnership. You’ll need to pay £50 for a civil partnership certificate.

You can pay when you give notice or when your ceremony takes place. You should check with the embassy, high commission or consulate which payment methods they accept.

Your consular civil partnership will be officially recognised in the same way as ceremonies that take place in the UK.

Countries that offer consular civil partnerships

Bolivia

At the British Embassy La Paz you can register an opposite-sex civil partnership.

Bulgaria

At the British Embassy Sofia you may be able to register a same-sex civil partnership with a national of any country other than Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Government will agree to this on a case-by-case basis.

Cambodia

At the British Embassy Phnom Penh you can register a same-sex civil partnership with a national of any country other than Cambodia.

Guatemala

At the British Embassy Guatemala City you can register a same-sex civil partnership.

Japan

At the British Embassy Tokyo you can register an opposite-sex civil partnership.

Laos

At the British Embassy Vientiane you can register an opposite-sex civil partnership with another British national.

Mongolia

At the British Embassy Ulaanbaatar you can register a same-sex civil partnership with a British national.

Panama

At the British Embassy Panama City you can register an opposite-sex or same-sex civil partnership.

Peru

At the British Embassy Lima you can register a same-sex civil partnership.

Philippines 

At the British Embassy Manila you can register a same-sex civil partnership.

Serbia

At the British Embassy Belgrade you can register a same-sex civil partnership.

Venezuela

At the British Embassy Caracas you can register a same-sex civil partnership.

Vietnam

At the British Embassy Hanoi and the British Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City you can register an opposite-sex or same-sex civil partnership with a national of any country other than Vietnam.

Updates to this page

Published 3 April 2024
Last updated 6 September 2024 + show all updates

  1. Guatemala added to countries you can register a civil partnership in.

  2. Added countries that you can register a consular civil partnership in.

  3. Added countries you can register a civil partnership in.

  4. First published.

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