Can I get my OH Parental Responsibility without being married?

Mojisola

If you don't want to get married now, make sure you both have well-written wills. If the worst should happen, the survivor could be in a very difficult position if you haven't got wills. See here - https://www.advicenow.org.uk/living-together/ - information.

Alternatively you could do a very cheap registry office wedding now - both of you and two witnesses - and plan for a big celebration on your 10th anniversary that all the family can come to.

mookiandco

Technically, you are not a step-parent until you marry the biological parent of a child. As you and OH are not married, he is not her step-parent and therefore cannot obtain PR for her. The reason that there is a condition that you must be married/in a civil partnership is because otherwise any tom, !!!!!! or harry of a partner could obtain PR for a child. PR should never be given lightly given that you will always require that persons consent to take the child abroad or change their surname and also consult them regarding important issues such as education or health regardless of whether you are together or not.

If the biological father has parental responsibility (either through marriage, a court order, a parental responsibility agreement or by virtue of the child having been born after December 2003 and the father's name on the birth certificate (would have to have been present at the registration) then you will need his consent for you to enter into a step-parent parental responsibility agreement when you are married. If the child was born before December 2003 and his name is on the birth certificate he will not have parental responsibility unless you were married, or it was granted through a court order/PR agreement.

In the event that the biological father has PR and he will not consent to the granting of PR to your new husband, then your new husband will have to make an application to the court for step-parent parental responsibility.

Gingham_Ribbon

laurenjs88 wrote: »

We are going to get married just to do the PR, Were not planning on getting wed untill were out of debt and brought a house and paid off half the mortgage which could well be another 10-12 years yet. Just wondering if there was a different way of getting him PR.

I have too large a family to have a small cheap wedding!

Naturally, you have to do this the way you both want it. However, I just wanted to pass on a comment a friend made to me when I said the same thing to her.

Being married is about spending your life together. It's about going through your problems and triumphs together as a married couple. Waiting all that time turns it into something else. It's a big, special day to look forward to but if you're waiting for some of the hard bits to be over, you're missing out on part of what being married is.

Just a thought that meant a lot to me at the time and wanted to pass on. I was glad to think about it like that and made my wedding a cheap but very, very happy one.

Loopy_Girl

74jax wrote: »

Althought she could use this to get OH the PR's for the child they do have together.

The Father of the child they have together will already have PR for her as he will be (I assume) named on the birth certificate.

mookiandco

Loopy_Girl wrote: »

The Father of the child they have together will already have PR for her as he will be (I assume) named on the birth certificate.

But only if the child was born after December 2003. If the child was born before December 2003 then having his name on the birth certificate does not automatically give the father PR.

Loopy_Girl

mookiandco wrote: »

But only if the child was born after December 2003. If the child was born before December 2003 then having his name on the birth certificate does not automatically give the father PR.

I took a stab in the dark and assumed the OP was talking about the children as mentioned in her signature;)

rachbc

Loopy_Girl wrote: »

The Father of the child they have together will already have PR for her as he will be (I assume) named on the birth certificate.

why do you assume that?

74jax

rachbc wrote: »

why do you assume that?

I would guess because they were together when the baby was born and seem in a committed relationship. I have to admit I assumed the same as loopygirl.

Mojisola

rachbc wrote: »

why do you assume that?

It would be unlikely for him to want to get PR for his step-child if he hadn't got it for his own child.

rachbc

sorry my mistake I thought we where talking about the first child's biological father...apologies!

In short I don't think there is anyway of getting PR for a 'step child' without being married as has been said - though once you are married its very simply to do if the step child's biological father doesn't have PR.