Question

To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what the fee will be to convert civil partnerships to marriage; and on what basis that fee was calculated.

The proposed fees for converting a civil partnership to marriage have been calculated on a full cost recovery basis. Where comparable processes exist for marriage and civil partnership, for example, for housebound and detained persons, these have been mirrored in the calculations for the conversion fees. Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary legislation, the fee to convert a civil partnership to a marriage will be:

· £45 - standard procedure at a register office

· £99 - at the residence of a housebound person

· £117 - at the place of detention of a detained person

· £15 – special procedure where a person is seriously ill and not expected to recover.

There will be separate fees for conversions conducted in consulates overseas which have yet to be confirmed.

The Government recognises that some couples may not have entered into their civil partnership if marriage had been available to same sex couples at that time. Therefore the Home Secretary has agreed to waive the fee for one year from 10 December 2014 for any couple who formed their civil partnership prior to 29 March 2014.