City of Seattle’s Domestic Partnership Registration Program

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.

• Program Details
• How to Register a Domestic Partnership with the City of Seattle
• How to Terminate (cancel) the Registration of a Domestic Partnership
• Domestic Partnership and City of Seattle Employees

Program Details

Who Can Register?

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 much does registration cost?

Program Fees:

• Registration fee: $25
• Certificate replacement fee: $10

See Fees for Materials & Services for more information.

How will my registration be documented?

We will issue you a Certificate of Registration of Domestic Partnership stating that you filed your registration with us and showing the date the partnership was registered.

How long will take to get my certificate?

If you apply 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. We also email you a PDF copy of your certificate the day we mail out the original.

If you apply in person: Certificates can be issued in person when our Information Service Desk is open. Please be sure your application is complete, signed, and notarized, and be aware that we do not accept credit or debit cards in person. Once you are here, it typically takes about 15 minutes to process the application and issue the certificate.

If you apply by email: When you email us an electronically signed, electronically notarized application (see How to Register for details), we issue the certificate no later than the day after we receive your online payment.

Are the records of my registration confidential (private)?

Program records, including personal information provided on a domestic partnership registration application, termination request or copy request is subject to the Washington Public Records Act, Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 42.56, and may be subject to disclosure to a third-party requestor. If this is a concern for you please contact our Public Records Officer at LEGPDR@seattle.gov before applying.

At the City of Seattle, we are committed to protecting your privacy, and will ensure that any disclosures are done according to law. We only collect information that is necessary to administer the program, confirm your eligibility, and mail you your registration certificate.

How to Register a Domestic Partnership with the City of Seattle

You can use our paper application or our electronic application, but not both:

To apply in person or by mail

• Download the fillable PDF Domestic Partnership Registration Form, or request a PDF or printed copy from the City Clerk's Office.
  • You can fill out the electronic form and then print it before signing, or you can hand-write your information on a paper copy.
• Fill out the form (please write clearly if you are filling it out by hand)
  • Answer all eligibility questions truthfully.
  • Both partners must sign the same form.
  • Both signatures must be witnessed by a notary public before the application is submitted to our office.
    
    • A notary public is an official who is trained and qualified to witness the signing of important documents.
    • The National Notary Association has information on finding a notary on their website.
• Send or bring the original completed, signed, notarized form with the $25 registration fee to the Office of the City Clerk
  • Mail the form with your check or money order to the address on the form. (Do not mail cash. Also, we currently do not recommend using overnight mail delivery services) or
  • Leave the form and your check or money order (no cash please) in our secure drop-box in the lobby of City Hall, just inside the 5th Avenue Entrance (between Cherry and James Streets, Security staff in the lobby can assist you), or
  • Bring the completed form and payment to our Service Desk (see our Contact Us page for current Service Desk hours) or contact us at (206) 684-8344 or leg_domesticpartnership@seattle.gov to make an appointment to bring the application in person on a day when we are working but our Service Desk is closed.
  • We will issue your registration certificate in person.
  • We cannot accept photocopies; you must give us the original signed and notarized form.
• Make checks or money orders payable to "City of Seattle"
  • DO sign checks/money orders before mailing, but DO NOT endorse them

OR

To apply by email

• Download the Domestic Partnership Registration Form, or request a copy from the City Clerk's Office
• Fill out the form and have it notarized electronically
  • Answer all eligibility questions truthfully
  • Both partners must sign the same form
  • Both signatures must be electronically notarized. Information about how to access an online notary service is available here.
  • Please note we cannot accept scanned copies of ink signed forms. Applications submitted via email must be electronically signed and notarized. 
• E-mail your completed and electronically notarized application to us at leg_domesticpartnership@seattle.gov
• Once we receive your complete application, we will email you an invoice for the $25 processing fee to be paid online. (Please check your spam filter if you don't see the email within one business day of sending your application).

How to Terminate (cancel) the Registration of a Domestic Partnership

If you need to terminate (cancel) the registration of your domestic partnership, you have two options:

By mail or in person

• Fill out the paper-based termination request form.
  • Only one partner needs to sign the form but the signature must be notarized.
  • See the "Where to Find a Notary Near You" section of this page for information on finding a notary.
• You can either:
  • Mail the form to us at: Office of the City Clerk / Domestic Partnership Registration Program / PO Box 94728 / Seattle, WA 98124-4728, or
  • Bring it to our Service Desk on the 3rd floor of City Hall during our open hours.
• After we have received and processed the termination form we will mail you a letter confirming the date the registration was terminated and a copy of your processed request.
  • You can choose to have a copy sent to the other registrant as well, but this is not required.
• Do not mail us a printout of an electronically signed form; if it is e-signed, the electronic signature is considered the original and we cannot proces the form without it.

By email

• Fill out the electronic-only termination form.
• Sign the form electronically in the presence of a remote online notary.
  • See this page from the National Notary Association for information on finding a remote online notary.
• Email your e-signed, e-notarized form to us at leg_domesticpartnership@seattle.gov.
• After we have received and processed your form, we will send you a letter confirming the date the registration was terminated.
  • You can choose to have a copy sent to the other registrant as well, but this is not required.
• Do not email us a scan of the paper-based form; we cannot process it without an original signature.

Are the records of my termination confidential (private)?

Program records, including personal information provided on a domestic partnership registration application, termination request, termination confirmation letter or copy request is subject to the Washington Public Records Act, Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 42.56, and may be subject to disclosure to a third-party requestor. If this is a concern for you please contact our Public Records Officer at LEGPDR@seattle.gov before applying.

At the City of Seattle, we are committed to protecting your privacy, and will ensure that any disclosures are done according to law. We only collect information that is necessary to process your termination request and provide you with confirmation that your registration has been terminated.

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.