Domestic Partnership

Certificate of Domestic Partnership
A Certificate of Domestic Partnership is the document that is prepared by the Local Registrar after you have filed your signed and notarized Affidavit of Domestic Partnership. Each partner is presented with an informational copy of the Certificate at the time it is prepared. This informational copy is only issued as your receipt that your Domestic Partnership has been registered; it serves no legal purpose. Each partner will also receive a copy of the Affidavit of Domestic Partnership and a copy of the Notice of Rights and Obligations for Domestic Partners.

Steps to Register a Domestic Partnership
  1. The applicants must obtain an Affidavit of Domestic Partnership from a Local Registrar of Vital Statistics.
  2. The Affidavit must be completed and signed by both applicants at the same time, in the presence of a notary public, and notarized.
  3. The applicants must appear together to file with a Local Registrar of Vital Statistics with the required $28 fee.
Domestic Partnerships are not considered registered until the Affidavit has been filed with a Local Registrar's Office and the Certificate of Domestic Partnership has been issued.
  1. Requirements to Register
  2. Where to Obtain and File
  3. Required Documentation
Requirements to Register
Couples wishing to register a Domestic Partnership must be:
  • Same sex couples at least 18 years of age
  • Opposite sex couples who are both 62 years of age or older
Couples must also meet the following requirements:
  • Share a common residence in New Jersey or in any other jurisdiction provided that at least 1 of the applicants is a member of a New Jersey State-administered retirement system
  • Are jointly responsible for each other's common welfare as evidenced by joint financial arrangements or joint ownership of real or personal property
  • Agree to be jointly responsible for each other's basic living expenses during the domestic partnership
  • Neither is in a marriage recognized by New Jersey law or a member of another domestic partnership
  • Neither is related to the other by blood or affinity up to and including the 4th degree of consanguinity
  • Have chosen to share each other's lives in a committed relationship of mutual caring
  • Neither has terminated another domestic partnership within the last 180 days. (This prohibition shall not apply when the previous partnership ended due to the death of the other partner).
Showing Proof of Domestic Partnership
To show proof of a Registered Domestic Partnership, you must obtain a certified copy of the Certificate of Domestic Partnership. A certified copy can be obtained from the Local Registrar of Vital Statistics where the Partnership was registered or at the State RegistrarÂ’s Office of Vital Statistics. To obtain the certificate, you must identify the date and location of the filing for the Domestic Partnership and provide identification to establish yourself as 1 of the partners listed on the document. Fees for certified copies vary by municipality.

More Information
For more detailed information and instructions on registering as a Domestic Partnership in the State of New Jersey, we recommend that you visit the State Registrar.

Obtaining Certified Copies
Please note that a Certified Copy of a vital record is issued to those individuals who have a direct link to the individual named on the vital record (as identified in Governor McGreevey's Executive Order 18) and provided that the requestor is able to identify the vital record and can provide proof of his identity and relationship.