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Thinking about registering a domestic partnership in Somerville?

Congratulations!

Here’s what you’ll need to know to register your partnership in Somerville.
Keep in mind, this isn’t legal advice; it’s just a few tips to help you get started.
You can find more detailed information here.

Domestic Partnerships

What You Need to Know Before You Get Started

To enter into a domestic partnership in Somerville, you and your partner(s) must proclaim under the pains and penalties of perjury that:

  • You are 18 years of age or older and mentally competent to contract;
  • You are in a relationship of mutual support, caring and commitment and intend to remain in such a relationship; 
  • You consider yourselves to be a family;
  • You haven’t been in a domestic partnership that was terminated in the last 90 days unless the termination resulted from the death of a domestic partner; and
  • You aren’t closely related. (That means you can’t enter into a domestic partnership with any parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, parent’s spouse, grandparent’s spouse, child’s spouse, grandchild’s spouse, partner’s parent, partner’s grandparent, partner’s child, partner’s grandchild, sibling, sibling’s child, or parent’s sibling.)

Register Your Domestic Partnership

  1. We are registering domestic partnerships in a way that minimizes your face-to-face interaction with city employees.
  2. Download the Domestic Partnership Registration Form from the City’s website and fill it out with a black pen as clearly as you can. Print the name and birthdate of each partner, the address of the common household, and contact information for the City Clerk’s use. DO NOT sign the form until you are in the presence of a Notary Public.
  3. Arrange a time for all of the partners to appear together before a Notary Public licensed in Massachusetts. Make sure you each bring a valid government-issued photo ID with you. Then sign the form in front of the Notary Public, so the Notary can notarize your signatures.
  4. Place the form in an envelope with a $50 check or money order payable to the City of Somerville. Add $15 for each Domestic Partnership Certificate that you wish to receive.
  5. Return the envelope with the form and the payment to us in one of two ways:
    • Drop it in the black drop box just outside the School Street entrance of City Hall; or
    • Mail it to the Somerville City Clerk, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA, 02143.
  6. We’ll register your Domestic Partnership on the date we receive it. If you ordered one or more Domestic Partnership Certificates, we will mail them to your household.

Getting a Copy of Your Certificate

If you registered your domestic partnership in Somerville, you can get a certified copy from the City Clerk’s Office. There are 2 ways to do this:

  • Online: Use our online portal.
  • By Mail: Mail us this form. Don’t forget to include a check or money order (not cash) for the $15 fee. Make checks payable to “City of Somerville.”

How to Terminate a Domestic Partnership

Domestic partnerships can be terminated in two ways:

  1. The death of a domestic partner immediately terminates the domestic partnership for all partners. The remaining domestic partner(s) must notify the City Clerk of the death.
  2. The filing of a Domestic Partnership Termination Statement by any domestic partner terminates the domestic partnership for all partners immediately upon the receipt of the Termination Statement by the City Clerk.

A domestic partner whose partnership is terminated must wait 90 days before registering a new domestic partnership.

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