Same Sex Marriages
Same sex marriage became legal in the United Kingdom in 2013. Prior to the change in divorce legislation in April 2022, same sex divorces were similar to divorces between heterosexual couples. The main difference being that same sex couples could not rely on the ground of adultery if the adultery occurred between two people of the same sex. The definition for adultery is “sexual intercourse between a man and woman who are not married to one another, but one of them is married to someone else”.
No fault Divorce – April 2022 onwards:
Same Sex couples and heterosexual couples no longer have to provide a ground for divorce, other than the marriage has broken down irretrievably. Therefore, the divorce process for both couples is now the same.
Civil Partnership:
A civil partnership can be dissolved by applying for a dissolution order. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 means that couples in a civil partnership can now apply for dissolution the same way heterosexual couples can apply for divorce – confirm that the relationship has broken down irretrievably.