Domestic partnership is a legal union of two individuals who have been living together continuously in a “close and committed personal relationship.” The domestic partner status provides some of the same benefits available to married couples. Some of those include family leave for child care, the ability for someone to remain in a rent-controlled apartment when their partner dies, the right to visit a partner in a city hospital or jail, and perhaps most significantly, eligibility for health insurance, life insurance, death benefits, and other such benefits.
To register for a Domestic Partnership in New York City, the two individuals must fulfill specific application requirements: both persons must be eighteen years of age or older and have a close and committed personal relationship while living together on a continuous basis for a minimum of six consecutive months. Additionally, both individuals must be New York City residents or have at least one individual be employed by the City of New York on the date of registration. Lastly, neither individual can be married or registered as a member of another domestic partnership within the last six months before registration.
While Domestic Partnerships offer more freedom than marriage, they do not provide as much protection and security. In contrast to an action for divorce, in order to dissolve a domestic partnership a couple must go through the process of dissolution, also known as termination. Although some couples have mutual feelings about the termination of their partnership and are able to pursue the process amicably, others may disagree on the terms of their “break up.” Since there is no legal protection in place for shared earnings in a domestic partnership as there is in a marriage, some couples negotiate what’s called a Cohabitation Agreement, (similar to a prenuptial agreement), in the early stages of their partnership.
