Section 18: House-bound persons, Civil Partnership Act 2004

This section applies if two people wish to register as civil partners of each other at the place where one of them is house-bound.

A person is house-bound at any place if, in relation to that person, a statement is made by a registered medical practitioner that, in his opinion—

because of illness or disability, that person ought not to move or be moved from the place where he is at the time when the statement is made, and

it is likely to be the case for at least the following 3 months that because of the illness or disability that person ought not to move or be moved from that place.

The procedure under which the two people concerned may register as civil partners of each other is the same as the standard procedure, except that—

each notice of proposed civil partnership must be accompanied by a statement under subsection (2) (“a medical statement”), which must have been made not more than 14 days before the day on which the notice is recorded,

the fact that the registration authority to whom the notice is given has received the medical statement must be recorded in the register, and

the applicable period (for the purposes of section 17) is the period of 3 months beginning with—

the day on which the notices of proposed civil partnership are recorded, or

if the notices are not recorded on the same day, the earlier of those days.

A medical statement must contain such information and must be made in such manner as may be prescribed by regulations.

A medical statement may not be made in relation to a person who is detained as described in section 19(2).

For the purposes of this Chapter, a person in relation to whom a medical statement is made is to be treated, if he would not otherwise be so treated, as resident and usually resident at the place where he is for the time being.

Section 18: House-bound persons

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