Changing a civil partnership to a marriage

The way you change your civil partnership to marriage depends on where you had your ceremony.

If you had your civil partnership in Scotland, you can change it by either:

an administrative process
a marriage ceremony

If you had your civil partnership outside of Scotland, you'll need to have a marriage ceremony.

Administrative process

You do not need to have a wedding ceremony if your civil partnership took place in Scotland.

Instead, you can arrange an appointment with your local registrar.

Find a registrar

Before your appointment

Fill in sections 1 to 12 on the application form.

You can get the form:

on the National Records of Scotland website
from your local registrar

Going to the registration office

You'll need to take:

your application form
your civil partnership certificate – the registrar can help you get this
photo ID for both of you – for example, your passport or driving licence

You will then sign section 13 of the application form with the registrar.

You will then be married and can order a marriage certificate.

Fees

You need to pay £45 for the administrative process. You can get a marriage certificate for an extra £10, if you request it within one month of registration.

Marriage ceremony

If you want to have a marriage ceremony, follow the guidance on getting married.

Changing a civil partnership registered outside of Scotland

For civil partnerships registered outside of Scotland, you must be able to prove:

your civil partnership was registered with the responsible authority in that country – the registrar can help if you're not sure
your civil partnership was legal in the country where you had it

If you can prove these things, follow the guidance on getting married.

Further information

Find out more about changing a civil partnership to marriage on the National Records of Scotland website.

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