Marriage?
Partnership to
Do you need to
convert your civil
partnership into a
marriage?
From 6th April 2014 distress will be
abolished, landlords of commercial
tenants will only be allowed to send
in the bailiffs after giving notice, thus
removing the ancient right for the
landlord to have bailiffs arrive
Same sex couples will be able to get
married in England and Wales after
new measures became law at the end
of 2013. Due to the amendments to be
made to other laws that are relevant to
marriage and the administrative changes
needed the government has announced
that the first same sex marriages will be
able to be held from March this year in
England and Wales.
If you are already in a civil partnership
the new law will enable you to convert
your partnership into a marriage, if
you want to. The government have
announced that they are aiming for it to
be possible for civil partnerships to be
converted into a marriage before the
end of 2014. The process for conversion
has yet to be determined and further
announcements from the government
are awaited to clarify matters.
It is envisaged that civil partners will be
able to simply convert their partnership
into a marriage by filling in a form and
that there will be no need to hold another
ceremony, but of course couples can
do if they wish! It is understood that the
date of the marriage will begin on the
date the civil partnership ceremony was
held, not the date the civil partnership is
converted into a marriage.
Aside from having an excuse to throw a
party and have a big celebration there
are other reasons why you might want to
get married rather than remain in a civil
partnership including:
Travel
restrictions can apply to civil partners but
not married couples. In countries where
same sex marriage is legal they do not
recognise civil partnerships which can
mean that UK civil partners living abroad
do not enjoy the same rights as same
sex married couples.
Forced outing
certain official forms require a
declaration of marital status which often
means that civil partners are forced to
state their sexuality.
Vows
there is also no requirement for civil
partners to take any vows like there is in
a marriage and some same sex couples
may like to take vows.
Language
the language of a civil partnership is
different to marriage which often makes
people feel segregated, for instance by
having to refer to their partner as a “civil
partner” rather than a “husband” or “wife”.
Civil partnerships will still be legally
recognised in England and Wales.
Same sex couples will have the choice
to either get married or enter into a civil
partnership. This has caused some
controversy as it does not provide
for equality for all. There has been,
and will continue to be, much debate
in Parliament about whether civil
partnerships have a place in society
now, many expect that either opposite
sex couples will be allowed to enter into
a civil partnership or the government
will be forced to abolish same sex civil
partnerships altogether and convert all
civil partnerships to a marriage.
By Gemma Hope
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