Civil partnership ceremonies can only be conducted by a Registrar/Deputy Registrar and can take place in the Lisburn Registration Office or in an Approved Venue which has been licensed for civil partnerships.
Any two people, regardless of where they live, can register a civil partnership in Northern Ireland, if they are:
- aged 18 or above on the day of your ceremony (consent is needed if either is aged 16 or 17)
- unrelated to one another in a way that would prevent you from forming a civil partnership
- free to enter into a partnership, for example, neither of you is already a civil partner or legally married
Notify us of your intention to enter into a civil partnership
You must give a minimum of 28 days’ notice to form a civil partnership to the council in the area you wish to marry.
We will accept notice up to a year before the date of your marriage.
The notification process is:
- Contact our registration team by phone on 028 9244 7263 or email: bdm.registration@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk to book an appointment.
- Our team will contact you regarding your paperwork - download the civil partnership notice form
- Both partners need to complete a civil partnership notice form and bring to the appointment along with all relevant documentation as per Notice Forms.
- We need to see originals of the following:
- full birth certificates (showing parents' details) or full adoption certificate
- in-date passports
- any other relevant documentation as per notice forms i.e. decree absolute from last marriage/previous marriage certificates/civil partnership certificates, death certificates, deed polls etc.
- a consent form if aged 16 or 17 (these are available from the Registrar)
- if you have entered into a civil partnership before, a court order of dissolution for that partnership
- if you have been married before and the marriage was dissolved, a certificate of divorce or annulment or a certified copy decree (decrees must be absolute or final)
- if you have been married more than once, only the documents for your most recent marriage are required
- if you are a widow, widower or surviving civil partner, the death certificate of your former spouse or civil partner
- Fee to be paid
If either of you are of a different nationality to Irish or British you will be required to complete an Immigration Status Statement before you can give notice.
- If you do not have a full birth certificate and you were born in Northern Ireland you can order a birth certificate online.
- Should any of your documents not be in English, we will also need certified translations of these documents.
Order a civil partnership certificate after the date of registration.