Information about registered partnership

Many of the rights and responsibilities of persons living in a registered partnership are the same as those of married spouses. The Information about marriage page explains more about the impacts of marriage.

In practice, there are only a few differences between registered partnerships and marriage. A couple living in a registered partnership for example cannot:

• adopt a child together from outside the family
• take a common surname.

If you live in a registered partnership, you can convert it into a marriage by submitting a notification to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. This applies only to partnerships registered in Finland. A partnership registered abroad cannot be converted into a marriage in Finland.

Married same-sex couples have the same rights as married couples who are of different sexes. When you convert your registered partnership into a marriage, you can take a common surname.

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