{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-partnership-act-2004/section-85",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-partnership-act-2004/section-85.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2004/33",
  "legislation_title": "Civil Partnership Act 2004",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-partnership-act-2004",
  "path": "section/85",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "85",
  "heading": "Formation of civil partnership by registration",
  "text": "(1) For the purposes of section 1, two people are to be regarded as having registered as civil partners of each other once each of them has signed the civil partnership schedule, in the presence of—\n(a) each other,\n(b) two witnesses both of whom have attained the age of 16, and\n(c) the approved celebrant or, as the case may be, the authorised registrar.\n(2) But the two people must be eligible to be so registered.\n(3) Subsection (1) applies regardless of whether subsection (4) is complied with.\n(4) After the civil partnership schedule has been signed under subsection (1), it must also be signed, in the presence of the civil partners and each other by—\n(a) each of the two witnesses, and\n(b) the approved celebrant or, as the case may be, the authorised registrar.",
  "extent": "S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 85(1)(c) substituted for s. 85(1)(c) and words (16.12.2014) by Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 (asp 5), ss. 24(2)(a), 36; S.S.I. 2014/287, art. 3, sch."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 85(4)(b) inserted (16.12.2014) by Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 (asp 5), ss. 24(2)(b), 36; S.S.I. 2014/287, art. 3, sch."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/33/section/85",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:16:53.191982+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}