The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 created a three-year window in which same-sex couples can convert their civil partnerships into marriages and opposite-sex couples can convert their marriages into civil partnerships.

It was introduced following the legalisation of same-sex civil marriages and same-sex religious marriages on two separate dates that same year.

Any couples who have not yet converted their civil partnership or marriage must do so by 6 December 2023.

The process is free and can be carried out at any local registration office in the district where the couple wishes the conversion to take place.