These Regulations bring into force certain provisions of the Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2020 (“the 2020 Act”) and make provision regarding the interim treatment in the law of Scotland of civil partnerships between persons of different sexes entered into outside Scotland.

Regulation 2 brings section 3 fully into force and also brings into force sections 1, 2, and 11, and schedule 1 for the limited purposes specified.

Section 3 of the 2020 Act makes interim provision regarding the treatment in the law of Scotland of different sex civil partnerships formed outside Scotland. Pending the coming into force of section 6 of the 2020 Act, which will enable different sex civil partnerships to be registered in Scotland, section 3(2) provides for such relationships to be treated as marriages. Sections 1 and 2 and schedule 1 are brought into force to the extent required to enable such relationships to be recognised as civil partnerships for the purposes of the application to them of section 3, and also for the purpose of the application of the law concerning proceedings for the dissolution of civil partnerships, for the separation of civil partners, and for declarator of nullity of civil partnerships.

Regulation 3 provides that a different sex civil partnership formed outside Scotland is not to be treated as a marriage for the purpose of proceedings ending the relationship or declaring its existence, although it is to be so treated for the purposes of the determination of any application for an ancillary order sought in the proceedings.

The Bill for the 2020 Act received Royal Assent on 28 July 2020. Sections 15, 16 and 17 came into force the following day.