Civil Partnership and Same Sex Marriage – Are they the same thing?

Civil Partnership and Same Sex Marriage – are they the same thing? 

Our Amy Trevellick in our Daventry office answers this question.

The short answer is, no. Although Civil Partnerships and Same Sex Marriage share many of the same features, and convey almost exactly the same legal rights, they are fundamentally different in nature and process. For one thing, if you are in a Civil Partnership, you cannot formally say you are “married”. So why are there 2 different processes?

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 was introduced to provide a legal framework around same sex relationships and to provide couples with the benefits and legal protection that heterosexual couples enjoyed upon marriage. This includes for example, tax benefits, inheritance and pension rights and the ability to be recognised as your partner’s next of kin. Although this went some way to bridging the gap between opposite sex couples and same sex couples, there