cu.step.step.html

Step By Step the Civil Union Process
(No matter where you are from!)
by C.M. Berman

Ever thought of marriage? Well, perhaps the civil union is the next step for your relationship! The civil union law itself is intended to provide same-sex couples with the same benefits marriage provides for heterosexual couples in Vermont. Whether you reside in Vermont or live elsewhere, if you decide to have a civil union it is highly recommended that you still maintain wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies and partnership and parenting agreements.

Step 1: Find out if you're eligible
You are eligible for a Vermont civil union if you meet the following criteria: (It doesn't matter where you are from!) You need to be a same-sex couple, both 18 years of age or older and you cannot be so closely related as to prevent marriage. Also, neither of you can be in another marriage, civil union, or reciprocal beneficiary relationship. And of course, you both need to be of sound mind.

Step 2: Get a license
Eligible couples can go to the town clerk's office in any Vermont town (unless you're Vermonters, in which case you need to go to the clerk's office in a town where one of you resides).
The license itself costs about $20. No blood test or medical exam is required. Once you have your license, you have 60 days to enter into a civil union.
The application also requires your ages and places of residence (the clerk may ask you for proof of these, a driver's license is usually adequate) as well as divorce certificates from previous marriages, civil union dissolution papers or death certificates of a previous spouse (as relevant). The application also asks for your parents' names and places of birth, but no documentation is required for those. You also need to answer questions about your race, occupation, total number of marriages or civil unions (and how they ended) and your education. This information does not appear on your certificate but is retained confidentially for health department records.

Step 3: Enter into a Civil Union
The license can be certified anywhere in Vermont (whether the couple resides in Vermont or not). The license has to be certified by an "officiant", generally a judge, justice of the peace or clergy member. The license then becomes a Civil Union Certificate. The officiant has 10 days to file the certification. After the license is certified, the union is legally binding!
Clergy members from out-of-state can perform civil unions if they become authorized by a probate court. Some courts may be willing to authorize out-of-state clergy by mail.
Once the civil union is filed, it becomes a public record and is available to anyone who asks for it and pays a small fee at the town clerk's office or at the Office of Vital Records in Vermont. If privacy is an issue, the officiant will list the Secretary of State's office as your residence if you request.
Once the officiant has filed the certificate, you're fully and legally a civil union. Congratulations! We hope the magic lasts a lifetime, but we should perhaps point out that for any "dissolution procedure" (that is, a divorce) you are required to establish Vermont residency for at least 6 months.