The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 (Commencement No. 4 and Savings Provisions) Order 2015

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order commences the provisions in the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 (“the 2014 Act”) which amend the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 (“the 1977 Act”) and the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (“the 2004 Act”) respectively so as to increase from 14 to 28 days the minimum period (i) for issuing the Marriage Schedule, (ii) for issuing a certificate that a person has legal capacity to marry, (iii) for solemnising a marriage after receipt of a marriage notice (unless early solemnisation is authorised), (iv) for registering a civil partnership after publicisation of the notice of proposed civil partnership by the district registrar, (v) for issuing the civil partnership schedule, and (vi) for issuing a certificate of no impediment to register as civil partners. These provisions are listed in the Schedule to the Order.

Article 3 of the Order makes savings provisions with the effect that the existing 14 day notice period for these matters continues to apply where a relevant notice of intention to marry or of proposed civil partnership has been submitted before 1st March 2015.

The Bill for the 2014 Act received Royal Assent on 12th March 2014. Sections 34 to 37 of the 2014 Act came into force on the day after Royal Assent.