Same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom

Part of the LGBTQ rights series
Marriage

Recognized

Civil unions or registered partnerships but not marriage
Minimal recognition
See also
Notes
  1. ^ a b Performed in the Netherlands proper (including the Caribbean Netherlands), as well as in Aruba and Curaçao. May be registered in Sint Maarten in such cases, but the rights of marriage are not guaranteed.
  2. ^ Neither performed nor recognized in Niue, Tokelau, or the Cook Islands.
  3. ^ Neither performed nor recognized in six British Overseas Territories.
  4. ^ a b Neither performed nor recognized in some tribal nations. Recognized but not performed in several other tribal nations and American Samoa.
  5. ^ Registered foreign marriages confer all marriage rights. Domestic common-law marriages confer most rights of marriage. Domestic civil marriage recognized by some cities.
  6. ^ a b c d e The Coman v. Romania ruling of the European Court of Justice obliges the state to provide residency rights for the foreign spouses of EU citizens. Some member states, including Romania, do not follow the ruling.
  7. ^ A "declaration of family relationship" is available in several of Cambodia's communes which may be useful in matters such as housing, but is not legally binding.
  8. ^ Guardianship agreements, conferring some limited legal benefits, including decisions about medical and personal care.
  9. ^ Inheritance, guardianship rights, and residency rights for foreign spouses of legal residents.
  10. ^ Courts have recognised guru–shishya, nata pratha or maitri karar–type contractual relationships, but they are not legally binding.
  11. ^ Some cities and prefectures issue partnership certificates, but they are not legally binding.
  12. ^ Marriages conducted abroad between a Namibian national and a foreign spouse recognized for residency rights.
  13. ^ Hospital visitation rights through a "legal representative" status.
  1. ^ a b Not yet in effect.
LGBTQ portal

Same-sex marriage is legal in all parts of the United Kingdom. As marriage is a devolved legislative matter, different parts of the United Kingdom legalised at different times; it has been recognised and performed in England and Wales since March 2014, in Scotland since December 2014, and in Northern Ireland since January 2020. Civil partnerships, which offer most, but not all, of the rights and benefits of marriage, have been recognised since 2005. The United Kingdom was the 27th country in the world and the sixteenth in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide. Polling suggests that a majority of British people support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.[1][2][3][4]

Same-sex marriage is legal in eight of the fourteen British Overseas Territories. It has been recognised in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands since 2014, Akrotiri and Dhekelia and the British Indian Ocean Territory (for UK military personnel only) since 3 June 2014, the Pitcairn Islands since 14 May 2015, the British Antarctic Territory since 13 October 2016, Gibraltar since 15 December 2016, the Falkland Islands since 29 April 2017, and Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha since 20 December 2017.[a] Same-sex marriage was formerly legal in Bermuda from 2017 to 2022, where domestic partnerships have been available to same-sex couples since 1 June 2018. Civil partnerships were legalised in the Cayman Islands on 4 September 2020.

Same-sex marriage is legal in the Crown Dependencies. It has been recognised and performed in the Isle of Man since 22 July 2016, in Jersey since 1 July 2018, and in the Bailiwick of Guernsey at different times: in Guernsey since 2 May 2017, in Alderney since 14 June 2018, and in Sark since 23 April 2020.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference poll1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference poll2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference poll3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference poll4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Same-sex marriage now legal as first couples wed". BBC News. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Date set for first same-sex marriages in Scotland". BBC News. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  7. ^ Macnab, Scott (16 December 2014). "Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Scotland". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  8. ^ "First same-sex weddings take place in Scotland". BBC News. 31 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Same-sex marriage now legal in Northern Ireland". BBC News. 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  10. ^ Media, P. A. (11 February 2020). "First same-sex marriage takes place in Northern Ireland". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.


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