How To Register A Domestic Partnership

Domestic Partnership

DCVRD notices

12/22/2021: In observance of the Christmas holiday, the DC Vital Records Division will be closed on Friday, December 24th, 2021. Our office will reopen on Monday, December 27th, 2021 at 8:30AM. Additionally in observance of the New Year's holiday, we will be closed on Friday, December 31st, 2021. Our office will reopen on Monday, January 3rd, 2022 at 8:30AM.

12/22/2021: The The DC Health Vital Records Division (DCVRD) will be available for the following types of services as of Monday, December 27, 2021:

LIMITED EMERGENCY WALK-UP SERVICES: Available Monday - Friday 9 am - 1 pm.

Masks are required . Customers must wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth before entering the building.

Walk-up services are available for customers to request birth, death and domestic partnership certificates. Service wait times can be found here: https://www.dcvsims.com/public/waittimes.

We highly recommend making an appointment, as appointment holders will be served within fifteen (15) minutes of their scheduled appointment time. See below for more information.

APPOINTMENT SERVICES:

Birth, Death and Domestic Partnership Certificates – make an appointment at https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/vital-records-appointments or call (202) 442-9303 option 1 and then option 9.
Domestic Partnership Registration and Termination – make an appointment at https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/vital-records-appointments or call (202) 442-9303 option 1 and then option 9.
Out of Institution Birth Registration – send an email to[email protected] to schedule an appointment. As was required prior to the pandemic, appointments are required for out of institution birth registration services.
Delayed Birth Registration - send an email to[email protected] to schedule an appointment. As was required prior to the pandemic, appointments are required for delayed registration of birth services.
Voluntary Acknowledgement of Parentage (AOP) Services – make an appointment at https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/vital-records-appointments or call (202) 442-9303 option 1 and then option 9. Appointments are required for AOP services.

Masks are required . Customers must wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth before entering the building.
Appointment holders will be given a 15-minute grace period. If you arrive after the grace period, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment in consideration of other scheduled customers.
If you are unable to select highlighted days on the calendar, all appointments have been booked for this month. Please check the next month.
If the calendar will not advance to the next month, there are no future appointments available at this time. Please check back later.

REMOTE SERVICES:

Online Certificate Orders - https://dchealth.dc.gov/vital-records (click the "Remote ordering service provider" section for all online ordering options)
Phone Certificate Orders - 1-877-572-6332 Option 2
Mail-in Birth Certificate Application - https://www.vitalchek.com/Fax-Phone/DC_Birth_Application.pdf
Mail-in Death Certificate Application - https://www.vitalchek.com/Fax-Phone/DC_Death_Application.pdf
Certificate Amendments – Email us at[email protected] for instructions
Out of Institution Birth Registration - send an email to[email protected]

Please allow 2-4 weeks for remote order processing time. Shipping times will vary based on shipping method selected by customer.

AMENDMENT SERVICES:

Walk-up amendment services are available for submitting amendment applications and payment processing. Amendment applications will be examined and decisions determined within 3-5 business days. Amendment customers will receive notification to make payment for approved applications. If an amendment application is denied, customers will receive a denial letter detailing requirements for approval, which may include petitioning the appropriate court. Masks are required . Customers must wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth before entering the building.
Remote Amendment Applications – Email us at[email protected] for instructions.

FUNERAL HOME SERVICES:

Funeral Home Portal Orders - https://funeralhome.vitalchek.com
Funeral Home Amendments - Instruction Sheet - Amendment of Death Record (Funeral Director)

Birth
Death
Domestic Partnership
Amending Records
Registering a Record
Providing Record Data
Requesting Data

Domestic Partnership

domestic partnership

Since June 11, 1992, unmarried persons of the same or different genders, regardless of one's place of residence, have been legally able to register as domestic partners in the District of Columbia.

This law guarantees the partners mutual visitation rights in hospitals and nursing homes. If one of the partners works for or was employed by the DC government after 1987, it also enables eligibility for health care insurance coverage, plus the ability to use annual or unpaid leave for funerals, births/adoptions, and caring for partners and dependents as family members.

ONLY the domestic partners themselves are entitled to copies of the domestic partnership certificate.

To order the certificate

You can order copies if you are legally entitled and have the required personal documentation (see below) and $18 per copy (a fee which can be paid by cash, personal or business check or major credit card.). If the name on your identification does NOT match the name on the certificate, you must prove evidence of a legal name change, like an original sealed legal name change order. See below:

For a printable version of the below requirements, please review our Identity Guidelines Information Sheet.

During your visit, you will be required to complete an identity verification questionnaire at our self- service kiosks. (Read more under "How do the on-site kiosks work?")

If the name on your identification does NOT match the name on the certificate, you must prove evidence of a legal name change. This may include a certified marriage certificate, certified divorce decree or a certified legal name change court order that reflects the history of the changes to the name(s) on the certificate(s) requested.

If the kiosk is able to authenticate your identity, you will be required to present at least ONE of the following forms of primary photo ID (which must be original, valid, unexpired, and undamaged.):

State-issued driver's license or non-driver's ID card
Passport or passport card
Permanent resident card
Employment authorization card
Department of State card
Military ID Card
Law enforcement ID (must also present DC Superior Court subpoena)
Government employee ID (applies only to licensed social workers or government representatives with pre-existing approval from the State Registrar)

If the kiosk is able to authenticate your identity but you do not have a primary photo ID, you will be required to present TWO FORMS of alternate identification from the list below (which must show your full name, current address and/or signature where appropriate):

Valid unexpired employment ID card (with photo) WITH a pay stub (dated within last 60 days)
Expired (within last 3 years) state-issued driver's license, non-driver's ID card or passport
Photo ID from a school in a U.S. state or territory (within last 3 years) WITH a report card, transcript or other proof of school enrollment (within last 3 years)
Department of Corrections or Federal Bureau of Prisons photo ID or probation/discharge papers with photo
Signed Social Security card or Social Security Disbursement Statement
Unexpired Vehicle registration/title
U.S. Selective Service card
Voter's registration card issued within last 3 years
Federal Census records issued within last 3 years
Filed Court documents
Pay stub (within last 30 days)
Utility bill (dated within last 60 days)
Valid DC ONE card
W2 from the previous year
DD214 military discharge/separation document
Hospital Newborn Discharge document related to a birth occurring within the last year
Official correspondence from US Citizenship and Immigration Services

If the kiosk is unable to authenticate your identity, you will be required to present ONE form of primary photo ID and TWO of the documents from the list below. (These options will appear when you present your primary photo ID.)

Signed Social Security card or Social Security Disbursement Statement
Vehicle registration/title
Utility bill (dated within the last 60 days)
Sealed court documents
W2 from the previous year
Hospital Newborn Discharge document related to a birth occurring within the last year
Official correspondence from US Citizenship and Immigration Services

To register for a domestic partnership

Both applicants must be at least 18 years of age, unmarried, competent to enter a contract, and not engaged in another domestic partnership.

They must prove they share a mutual, permanent residence by submitting ONE of the following:

A current residential lease or rental agreement naming both applicants as occupants
A current residential mortgage that names both applicants as mortgagors
A deed for residential property stating that both applicants share title to the premises
An affidavit executed within the last 6 months IF valid photo identification has the same home address

Both applicants must be present in person to register the partnership,by appointment only, in the DC Vital Records office located at 899 North Capitol Street, NE, 1st Floor Washington, DC 20002. M ake an appointment at https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/vital-records-appointments or call (202) 442-9303 option 1 and then option 9.

Completed forms may be brought to DC Vital Records for review by both partners without an appointment.

Download forms (PDFs)

Domestic Partnership Registration Form ($45 fee)
Instructions

Affidavit of Mutual Residence
Request for Declaration

To terminate a domestic partnership

Filing for termination

One or both parties can file to terminate the domestic partnership by appointment only in the DC Vital Records office located at 899 North Capitol Street, NE, 1st Floor Washington, DC 20002. M ake an appointment at https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/vital-records-appointments or call (202) 442-9303 option 1 and then option 9.

Completed forms may be brought to DC Vital Records for review without an appointment or mailed to the address below:

Attn. CSCO Unit
Vital Records Division
District of Columbia Department of Health
899 North Capitol Street, NE
1st Floor
Washington, DC 20002

When the partnership is related to benefits, partners must inform applicable third parties about partnership termination. Failure to notify does not carry a penalty; however any person who makes a false statement in a domestic partnership agreement or fails to notify an employer about a change in status can be sued in a civil action. Additionally, falsification of vital records forms and applications may result in punitive action (D.C. Code § 7–231.28).

There is a six-month waiting period to terminate a domestic partnership. During this time, all benefits continue to both partners, and the partner(s) who filed can submit a request to withdraw the termination at any time, if the partnership still meets the requirements for a domestic partnership. After the six-month waiting period, partners would need to establish a new partnership through the application process.

Forms (PDFs) and fees

Additions or Corrections to Record ($10 fee.)
Notice of Termination to Domestic Partnership ($25 fee)
Withdrawal of Domestic Partnership Termination ($10 fee)

Automatic termination

A domestic partnership terminates automatically, with no waiting period, if either domestic partner dies or one of the following occurs:

Both partners marry each other
One partner marries someone else
One partner abandons the domestic partnership or primary mutual residence