Article 17 Certificate of no impediment

Where a United Kingdom national wishes to register an overseas relationship with a person who is not a United Kingdom national or a citizen of a country mentioned in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981^f1 he may apply to the registration authority, or to the civil partnership officer responsible for the area in which he resides, or to the civil partnership officer responsible for the consular district in which the overseas relationship is to be registered, for a certificate that no impediment to the civil partnership being registered has been shown to the Registrar General or civil partnership officer to exist.

Where the person making application under paragraph (1) is resident within the United Kingdom, he shall before the certificate may be issued first give notice to the registration authority, together with payment of the appropriate fee, stating that he has been resident in the United Kingdom throughout the previous twenty-one days, following which giving of notice the certificate may be issued after a further period of twenty-one days has elapsed.

Where the person making application under paragraph (1) is resident outside the United Kingdom, he shall before the certificate may be issued first give notice to the appropriate civil partnership officer stating that he has been resident in the area where he resides throughout the previous twenty-one days, following which giving of notice the certificate may be issued after a further period of twenty-one days has elapsed.

The registration authority or civil partnership officer shall not issue the certificate if he is aware of any reason why such a certificate should not be issued.

The registration authority or civil partnership officer may request from the applicant any information which he considers relevant to the decision whether or not to issue the certificate.