Conversion
21.—(1) The parties to a convertible Northern Ireland marriage are to be regarded as having converted their marriage into a civil partnership under this Part when—
(a)the parties have completed the procedure mentioned in regulation 22,
(b)at the invitation of the registration officer and in the presence of the registration officer and each other, each of the parties has signed the conversion declaration, and
(c)the registration officer has also signed the conversion declaration in the presence of the parties.
(2) No religious service is to be used at a conversion under this Part.
(3) As well as signing the conversion declaration, the parties may, if they wish, say the words of the declaration in regulation 23(d) to each other in the presence of the registration officer.
(4) A conversion under this Part of a convertible Northern Ireland marriage is effective only if the signing of the conversion declaration as mentioned in paragraph (1)(b) and (c) takes place before the end of the 3 years beginning with the day these Regulations come into force.