.png)
Civil Partnerships
A Civil Partnership is a legal marriage between same sex couples; it will give you added legal rights, as well as responsibilities. Any couples who enter into a Civil Partnership obtain the new legal status of ‘Civil Partners’, instead of the traditional husband and wife status.
Dissolution is the termination of a Civil Partnership and is done in the same manner as a divorce for civil marriages. In order to instigate proceedings, the following will need to be complied with:
- You must have remained within the civil partnership for at least one year;
- An irretrievable breakdown in the partnership will need to be proven;
- A petition must be filed citing any reasons why the partnership should end;
- A ‘Statement of Arrangements’ form will need to be filed if there are children involved.
This should include any plans for the children after the dissolution has taken place.
There are four facts that allow the court to honour the dissolution. Namely, you must be able to prove one of the following:
- Your partner behaved unreasonably to the extent that you cannot be expected to live with him/her;
- Your partner deserted you and two years have passed since the desertion;
- You have been separated for two years and your partner consents to the divorce;
- You have been separated for five years.