Established Long-Term Relationship status for service personnel

Established Long-Term Relationship (LTR(E))

An LTR(E) is a relationship between two people that has continued for a long time and has the intent of permanence, but does not have the legal recognition of marriage or civil partnership. 

Having accurate data on LTR(E) relationships enables defence understand and meet the couple’s needs.

Service personnel may seek LTR(E) status for:

Service personnel must complete the application form available from their HR admin team, or at Annex A within the Defence Instruction Notice Recognition of an Established Long Term Relationship (LTR(E)) (ODT, 84.9 KB) and provide supporting evidence.

Only one service person within a dual-serving couple needs to apply for LTR(E) status. If approved, Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) will be updated for both partners.

The form must be signed by both the serving person and their partner, whether or not the couple is dual-serving.

To support an LTR(E) application, applicants must provide:

Proof of shared children (e.g. joint birth certificates, adoption papers).

Section B (evidence must be more than 365 days old)

Evidence of long-term commitments, such as joint financial, domestic, legal, or child-related responsibilities.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Section C (evidence must be less than 90 days old)

Evidence that demonstrates ongoing commitment, such as utility bills or bank statements.