Civil partnership ceremony venues

We can now take bookings for both same sex and opposite sex couples to arrange a civil partnership ceremony and to give their notice of civil partnership. More information on marriage and civil partnerships is available on the gov.uk website.

We can offer you and your partner a wide choice of venues for civil partnerships. These include the Cheshire East's Register Offices and a range of hotels, stately homes and other establishments that are licensed as ‘Approved Premises’ and listed on our website Your Ceremony Your Choice.

If you wish to have a registration and / or ceremony one of our Approved Premises in Cheshire East, you can book registrars up to three years in advance. Although the legal notices are only valid for twelve months, you can secure the services of the registrars by telephoning the Register Office for the area where the Approved Premises are located.

Your Ceremony Your Choice

Visit our dedicated ceremony website Your Ceremony Your Choice for information on planning your ceremony and your special day.

When a civil partnership can take place

Civil partnerships can take place in the statutory ceremony rooms at Crewe and at Macclesfield and also in the larger ceremony rooms in both locations.

At Approved Premises partnerships can be registered Monday to Sunday between 10am and 6pm.

Civil partnerships are available at approved premises on all Bank Holidays.

To book a civil partnership

You will need to choose the venue where you would like your registration/ceremony to take place and make a provisional booking. If you choose one of our approved premises, please check the availability of registrars from the registration area in which the approved premises are located.

The next step is to arrange to complete the legal notices of civil partnership in the registration authority where you reside. For details about residential qualifications, please contact your local Register Office.

If you live in Cheshire East, and have already booked your ceremony date and the registrar's attendance, you can telephone 0300 123 5019 to make a notice appointment at the Register Office. A booking fee of £35.00 per person will be taken when the appointment is booked. This fee covers the cost of the statutory notice fee and is non refundable.

If you live outside Cheshire East, please contact your local Register Office. If you live in different local authority areas, notices will have to be given in each area.

Both you and your partner have to give notice in person. When you call to make your appointment to give notice, ask your registrar which documents you will need to produce, such as:

evidence of identity, age and nationality, ideally a passport
change of name documents
proof of residence in the form of a utility bill or other official document which shows your home address. A utility bill should be dated no more than 3 months before the date of the notice of civil partnership; a bank or building society statement should be dated no more than 1 month before the date of the notice of civil partnership. All bills and statements must be original documents
if appropriate, evidence of how any previous marriage or civil partnership ended, such as a divorce decree absolute or a death certificate
further documents may be required as evidence, eg a previous marriage certificate to link the name on a woman’s birth certificate with the name an her decree absolute
if you are under 18 years old parental consent will be required
if either of you are subject to immigration control you will need to provide further documents
the booking fee paid when the appointment is booked covers the statutory notice fee. This fee is non refundable
a civil partnership cannot take place until after 28 clear days have elapsed from the day of giving notice. During the 28 day waiting period, the notices will be displayed in your local registration authority
once the 28 day waiting period has elapsed, the civil partnership can only take place at the venue specified on the notices. The notices are valid for 12 months. If you change the venue, or the notices expire, fresh notices will have to be given

Please contact the Ceremonies Team on 01270 375140 if you have any queries about the documents required.

Restrictions to non-UK citizens

There are special procedures when either partner is a foreign national who is subject to immigration control. If this applies to you, please contact your local Register Office for further advice.

The difference between a registration and a ceremony

The registration of a civil partnership takes place when both of you sign the civil partnership schedule in the presence of two witnesses and the Civil Partnership Registrar.

If you wish to register your partnership without a ceremony you can do so, as it is not a requirement of the legal process. However, Cheshire East Council would be delighted to offer you a ceremony to accompany and enhance the registration.

Contact the Register Office

Email creweregisteroffice@cheshireeast.gov.uk or see Gov.UK.

Page last reviewed: 29 October 2021