Has your civil partnership come to an end? Know how to legally dissolve it

24 February 2026

When you entered a civil partnership, you were likely thinking of building a future together and not when it might come to an end.

Making the decision to separate can be difficult and you may be unsure of the legal process.

If you want to end your civil partnership in England and Wales, it is important you understand your options and the process to dissolve it.

What is a civil partnership?

A civil partnership is a legally recognised relationship between two people.

It was introduced under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and was initially available to same-sex couples. This was then extended to opposite-sex couples in 2019.

Civil partners have similar rights to married couples, including:

• Property and financial rights
• Pension and inheritance entitlements
• Tax benefits
• Parental responsibility in some circumstances

What are the legal ways to end a civil partnership?

There are three main ways to legally end a civil partnership:

• Dissolution – This is the most common method and is equivalent to divorce. You can apply for dissolution once you have been in the civil partnership for at least one year.
• Annulment – An annulment declares the partnership legally invalid, such as is if one parter was already married.
• Judicial separation – If you do not wish to end the partnership entirely or if you have been in it for less than a year, you can apply for legal separation. This formalises your separation but does not dissolve the partnership.

What are the grounds for dissolution?

Since the introduction of no-fault divorce in April 2022, there is only one ground for dissolving a civil partnership and this is when it has irretrievably broken down.

You do not need to assign blame or provide evidence of wrongdoing and a statement confirming the breakdown is accepted and conclusive by the court.

What is the dissolution process?

When you are ending your civil partnership, you must follow this legal process, which involves:

Application

You can apply alone (sole application) or together (joint application) for dissolution.

Applications are usually made online and a court fee is payable.

As part of the application, you must confirm that the partnership has inevitably broken down and met the jurisdiction requirements.

Conditional order

Once the application has been issued, a mandatory 20-week reflection period begins.

After this time, you can apply for a conditional order, which confirms that the court sees no reason why the partnership cannot be dissolved.

Final order

Six weeks and one day after the conditional order, you may apply for the final order. Once this is granted, the civil partnership is legally ended.

The minimum timeframe for dissolution is around six months, although disputes about finances or children can extend this.

How can we support you during the end of your civil partnership?

The legal process of ending a civil partnership is relatively straightforward, however it can come with additional financial and practical implications that you must consider.

Dissolution does not automatically resolve financial claims, property division, pensions or child arrangement matters.

Without a legally binding financial order, claims may remain open indefinitely.

Our Family Law team can help you negotiate settlements, ensure the correct timing of the final order and secure a clean break, where appropriate.

Ending a partnership can be hard enough and we can guide you through the process and avoid costly mistakes and delays.

If you need further advice or support on ending your civil partnership, contact our Family Law team today.