Establishment of a civil partnership

You have decided to go into a gay partnership?
Well, this can be realised before the registrar since 1.8.2001 and requires certain preparations. Here is some advice for making this easier for you (and for us, too): For giving you a basis for planning, we recommend you to first reserve a date and your preferred time for entering into partnership.

Prior to the actual date, it is first necessary to file the “application for establishing a civil partnership”. You have to file this application in the register office of the community where at least one of the life partners has a place of residence. The establishment itself may also be carried out in another register office of your choice.

It depends on each individual case, which documents you need for the application for establishing a civil partnership.

Therefore, we recommend you to get advice from the register office, in advance.

In general, the following documents are necessary for this:

• A residence permit issued by the registry office with indication of the first and last names, marital state, place of residence and nationality.
• A certified copy of the register of births.
• If you have been married, also a certified copy of the family register of your last marriage or – if no family register was kept for such marriage – the marriage certificate as well as a certificate for dissolution of the marriage.
• If you have been in a registered partnership before, the civil partnership certificate and a certificate for dissolution of such partnership.
• The partners must establish their identity with the presentation of their identity cards/passports.
• Partners of foreign nationality also have to demonstrate the following, in addition to this:

Their nationality by presenting their passport, their identity card with the entry of nationality or a certificate of the competent authority of their mother country.

Their marital state by presenting a certificate of the competent authority of their mother country.

We will gladly render information via telephone or will hand out an information sheet regarding the documents needed in your individual case if you come by.
For the application, principally both partners should be present. However, a prevented partner may as well authorise the other partner for registration with an authority.
The register office of the main residence is responsible for the registration. If the partners have different places of residence, they may chose between the two register offices.