Civil Union Act, 2006

Civil Union Act, 2006
Parliament of South Africa
  • Act to provide for the solemnisation of civil unions, by way of either a marriage or civil partnership; the legal consequences of civil unions; and to provide for matters incidental thereto.
CitationAct No. 17 of 2006
Passed byNational Assembly
Passed14 November 2006
Passed byNational Council of Provinces
Passed28 November 2006
Assented to29 November 2006
Commenced30 November 2006
Legislative history
First chamber: National Assembly
Bill titleCivil Union Bill
Bill citationB 26—2006
Introduced byNosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Minister of Home Affairs
Introduced31 August 2006
First reading12 September 2006
Second reading14 November 2006
Amended by
Civil Union Amendment Act, 2020
Related legislation
Marriage Act, 1961
Status: In force

The Civil Union Act, 2006 (Act No. 17 of 2006) is an act of the Parliament of South Africa which legalised same-sex marriage. It allows two people, regardless of gender, to form either a marriage or a civil partnership. The act was enacted as a consequence of the judgment of the Constitutional Court in the case of Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie, which ruled that it was unconstitutional for the state to provide the benefits of marriage to opposite-sex couples while denying them to same-sex couples.