MANY FAMILIES, ALL VALUED

• What is Domestic Partnership Registration?

  New York City's Domestic Partnership Registry is a means by which unmarried couples who are residents of or employees of new York City and who are in a committed, on-going family relationship, may document their relationship. This recognizes the diversity of family configurations, including lesbian, gay and unmarried heterosexual couples (and their children), unmarried elderly partners, and divers family constellations among people with disabilities.

• Who Are Domestic Partners?

  Under the definition provided in Mayor Dinkins' January 7, 1993 Executive Order no. 48, Domestic Partners are two people, both of whom are eightten years of age or older, neither of whom is married or related by blood in a manner that would bar her or his marriage in new York State, who have a close and committed personal relationship, who live together and have been living together on a continuous basis, who have registered as domestic partners and have not terminated the domestic partnership.

• How Do We Register As Domestic Partners?

  1. Obtain a Domestic Partnership Affadavit from [one of] the following City agencies:
     • NYC Commission on Human Rights
     • Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
     • NYC Department for the Aging
     • Mayor's Action Center
     • Mayor's Office for the Lesbian Gay/Community
     • Office of the City Clerk
       
       
     To have an affidavit mailed to you, call the Office of the City Clerk, (212) 669-8190.
     
     
  2. Both partners must sign the affidavit in the presence of a Notary Public, who will then sign and notarize the document.
     
     
  3. Take the notarized affidavit to the City Clerk's office at the Municipal Building (South Side), Room 265, 1 Centre Street, Manhattan. Each partner must present one form of personal identification (e.g., driver's license, birth certificate, passport, immigration card, school records). If you are physically unable to get to the Clerk's Office, please call (212) 669-8190 for information on how to register.
     
     
  4. For domestic partners who qualify, the Clerk will issue a signed Certificate with the City Seal on it and make a copy for City records. These records are not public information, but may be used for statistical purposes on an anonymous basis. You will keep the original Certificate of Domestic Partnership.
     
     
  5. To terminate a registered partnership, obtain a Domestic Partnership Termination form from [one of] the above agencies, sign and have it notarized, and file it with the City Clerk, again providing personal identification. A person will not be eligible to register a new partnership for six months following termination of a prior partnership.
     
     

• What Are the Current Policies for Domestic Partners?

  Policies applicable to domestic partners are set forth in Mayor David N. Dinkins' Executive Orders 48 and 49, dated January 7, 1993. A Certificate of Domestic Partnership registration will be helpful documentation for those who are seeking the benefits of City policies applicable to domestic partners:
  1. In accordance with executive Order 49, employees of the City of New York are entitled to bereavement leave in the event of the death of a domestic partner, or the death of a parent or child of a domestic partner, or the death of a relative of a domestic partner residing in the household.

  2. In accordance with Executive order 49, employees of the City of New York are entitled to child Care Leave of Absence Without Pay when their domestic partner becomes the parent of a child either by birth or adoption.

  3. In accordance with Executive Order 49, Domestic Partners have the right to visit each other and each other's family members in heath care and hospital facilities operated by the NYC Health and Hospitals corporation in accordance with the visitation policies for family members.

  4. In accordance with Executive Order 49, a Domestic Partnership registration will be evidence when Domestic Partners are seeking to establish occupancy rights in NYC Housing authority apartments, and succession rights in buildings supervised by or under the jurisdiction of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
     
     

• Should We Have Any Concerns About Registering as Domestic Partners?

  The City Clerk has established procedures to ensure the confidentiality of Domestic Partnership Registration records. Your registered Certificate is not public information.

  Those choosing to register their partnerships should be aware that a Certificate of Domestic Partnership is not the same as a Power of Attorney or a Health Care Proxy. If you are interested in establishing these writtne agreements with your partner, we suggest you seek legal advice and assistance.

  Because marriage licenses are governed by the State of New York, you should be aware that a New York City Certificate of Domestic Partnership is not the same as a marriage license.

For More Information, Contact:

• NYC Department for the Aging: (212) 442-1100
• Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities: (212) 788-2830
• City Clerk's Office: (212) 669-8190
• Human Rights Commission: (212) 306-7500
• Mayor's Action Center: (212) 788-7588
• Mayor's Office for the Lesbian/Gay Community: (212) 788-2706