To protect the health and safety of our customers and staff, we can only accept applications for domestic partnership registrations by mail. Applications are being processed the day they are received in the mail, and certificates are being mailed out the same day. Please contact us by phone at 206-684-8344 or by e-mail at CityClerk@seattle.gov if you have questions.

Since 1994, the City of Seattle has offered unmarried couples in long-term committed relationships an opportunity to document those relationships by registering a domestic partnership with the Seattle City Clerk's Office.

Domestic Partnership Registration is voluntary, and does not create any new or different legal rights or responsibilities, or any contractual or financial obligations between those registered.

Who Can Register a Domestic Partnership with the City of Seattle?

Under City of Seattle Ordinance 117244, Domestic Partners are defined as any two people who:

Are both 18 years of age or older

Are not married

Are not related to one another by blood in a manner that would bar their marriage in Washington State

Have a relationship of mutual support, caring, and commitment

Do not have any other domestic partner

The Domestic Partnership Registration Program does not require residence in Seattle. It is open to all persons anywhere who wish to participate.

How to Register a Domestic Partnership with the City of Seattle

Download the Domestic Partnership Registration Form, or request a copy from the City Clerk's Office

Fill out the form (please write clearly) Answer all eligibility questions truthfully Both partners must sign the same form Both signatures must be notarized Send us the original, not a photocopy

Bring or mail the form with the $25 registration fee to the City Clerk's Office

Make checks payable to "City of Seattle"





How much does it cost?

Program Fees:

Registration: $25

Certificate replacement: $10

See Fees for Materials & Services for more information.

Forms of Payment Accepted:

check

money order

cash - in person only; please do not send cash through the mail

How long does it take?

By mail: The Certificate of Registration is typically sent to the applicants within three business days of our receiving the application. Certificates are sent by U.S. Postal Service first-class mail.

In person: Certificates can be issued in person at our Information Service Desk. Please be sure your application is complete, signed, and notarized, and be aware that we do not accept credit or debit cards.

Why isn't it confidential?

Domestic Partnership Registration is not confidential. It is a public record under the Public Records Act (Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Section 42.56).

Domestic Partnership and City of Seattle Employees

It is the policy of the City of Seattle to recognize legal, same-sex marriages as identical to opposite-sex marriages. (See Executive Order 02-04.) A legally binding, same-sex marriage is one registered in a state or country that authorizes same sex marriages.

If you are a City of Seattle employee, you can obtain a City-authorized Domestic Partnership form (see SMC Section 4.30.010) from your Benefits representative in the Seattle Department of Human Resources.

If a Registered Domestic Partnership Ends