Many nations worldwide are examining whether to offer legal recognition to same-sex weddings. Currently, there are 34 Countries Where Same Sex Marriage Is Legal. Certain legal systems in Mexico permit same-sex unions, while others do not. The nations that have approved the practice are listed here, starting with the most recent additions.
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List Of Countries Where Same Sex Marriage Is Legal
The List of Countries Where Same Sex Marriage Is Legal is as follows:
Costa Rica
Costa Rica was the first nation in Central America to legalise same-sex unions in May 2020. In 2018, the nation’s top court declared that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The court also stated that the prohibition would be repealed in 18 months if the government did not take action before that time, which it did not.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, same-sex marriages are now permitted as of October 2019. Even though Northern Ireland is a part of the UK and has a parliament at Stormont, the UK’s Parliament in London ultimately changed the island’s marriage rules. The Northern Irish parliament was suspended in January 2017 due to a deadlock between Northern Ireland’s parties, which provided British parliamentarians with justification for the change (together with the legalisation of abortion).
The final region of the UK to forbid same-sex unions was Northern Ireland; in 2013, England and Wales decided to do the same, and Scotland followed in 2014. (see below).
Ecuador
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador ruled on June 12 that same-sex couples have the legal right to get married. With the decision’s immediate implementation, the Andes mountain nation has become the fifth nation in Latin America to permit gay marriage.
Taiwan
Taiwan’s legislature approved the same-sex marriage law on May 17, 2019, making the island nation the first in Asia to allow gay marriage. A 2017 ruling by Taiwan’s Constitutional Court invalidated legislation defining marriage as being between a man and a woman, which served as the impetus for the Legislative Yuan (the official name of Taiwan’s unicameral parliament) vote. The court gave the nation’s legislature until May 24, 2019, to amend Taiwan’s marriage laws to accommodate same-sex couples.
Austria
On January 1, 2019, Austria became one of the large majority of Western European nations to recognise same-sex unions. In 2010, the government gave couples who identify as gay or lesbian the ability to form a civil partnership. However, the highest court in Austria declared that these partnerships were intrinsically discriminatory in 2017. The first same-sex marriage took place at the start of 2019 because Austria’s legislature failed to challenge the decision.
Australia
The Australian parliament approved laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to get married on December 7, 2017. Passage occurred just three weeks after Australians approved same-sex marriage in a countrywide, non-binding referendum by a 62% to 38% margin. Australia joined New Zealand as the second nation in the Asia-Pacific to legalise same-sex unions.
Malta
In July 2017, Malta’s parliament passed a bill to allow same-sex unions, mostly over the objections of the local Catholic Church on the tiny Mediterranean island.
Germany
On June 30, 2017, Germany became the fifteenth nation in Europe to approve legislation permitting same-sex marriage. Chancellor Angela Merkel shocked many by stating that members of her ruling Christian Democratic Union should be entitled to vote their conscience even if the party technically opposes same-sex marriage just days before the Bundestag’s (or parliament) 393-226 decision.
Colombia
After Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, Colombia became the fourth nation in South America with a Catholic majority to legalise same-sex unions on April 28, 2016. According to the wire service Agence France-Presse, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that “all people are free to choose independently to start a family in keeping with their sexual orientation… receiving equal treatment under the constitution and the law.” A 6-3 vote reached the decision.
United States
The United States Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guaranteed same-sex marriage nationwide eleven years after it was first made lawful in Massachusetts. The 14th amendment’s promise of equal protection under the law is allegedly violated by restricting marriage to only heterosexual couples, according to the court’s interpretation, which forms a part of the 5–4 judgment. Before the decision, same-sex marriage was permitted in 36 states and the District of Columbia. See a timeline showcasing state policy developments from 1995 to 2015.
Greenland
Denmark’s 2012 same-sex marriage law did not apply to Greenland, an independent territory of that country. Yet, the world’s largest island lawmakers approved a bill in May 2015 to allow same-sex unions.
Ireland
With the advent of the internet, the world has become a much smaller place, and the world has become a much smaller place. The Irish Constitution was amended to state that “marriage may be contracted by law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.” Over six in ten Irish voters (62%) voted “yes” to the amendment.
Despite the opposition from some Catholic Church leaders, Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin stated in a commentary published in The Irish Times newspaper before the referendum that he would not instruct citizens on how to vote and that he had “no wish to stuff my religious views down other people’s throats.” Enda Kenny, the prime minister of Ireland, backed the “yes” movement.
Finland
Starting in January 2017, Finland legalised same-sex unions. In November 2014, the Finnish parliament adopted a bill allowing same-sex relationships. Sauli Niinistö, the president of Finland, then signed the bill into law in February 2015. Finland joins Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as the fifth Nordic nation to recognise same-sex unions formally.
Luxembourg
Gay and lesbian couples can now marry and adopt children after the House of Deputies unanimously approved legislation on June 18 in Luxembourg. The policy, which took effect in early 2015, was championed by the country’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, who is openly gay.
The modifications are part of a bigger reform of the tiny nation’s marriage rules, the first significant revision since 1804. The law also lowers the legal age of marriage to 18 and does away with the previous requirement that couples who wish to get married first undergo a medical test. Same-sex couples are now permitted to marry and adopt.
Scotland
On February 4, 2014, the Scottish parliament voted decisively to support legislation legalising same-sex marriage. The law permits same-sex marriages and provides churches and other religious institutions the freedom to decide whether or not to perform them. The Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland, the two biggest churches in Scotland, have fought against the law because they reject same-sex unions.
In December 2014, the law went into force, and same-sex marriages started happening in Scotland.
Wales and England
On July 17, 2013, a measure allowing same-sex marriage in England and Wales received the “royal assent” of Queen Elizabeth II. The day before, the bill had achieved final passage in the British Parliament following months of deliberation. Because Scotland and Northern Ireland are semi-autonomous and have different legislative authorities to rule on many domestic issues, including the definition of marriage, the law only applies to England and Wales. The Scottish parliament approved a bill to legalise same-sex marriage in February 2014, but the Northern Ireland legislature rejected a similar proposal in April 2014.
Brazil
The National Council of Justice of Brazil decided on May 14, 2013, that same-sex couples should not be denied marriage licenses, opening the door for same-sex unions nationwide.
France
On May 18, Francois Hollande, the president of France, signed a bill legalising same-sex unions into law, making France the fourteenth nation to do so. Although the National Assembly and the Senate had already approved the legislation in April, Hollande could not sign it until the outcome of a legal dispute initiated by the UMP, a conservative opposition group. The Constitutional Council of France, the country’s highest court, declared the law constitutional on May 17.
New Zealand
On April 17, a resolution legalising same-sex unions received final approval from the New Zealand Parliament, making the Pacific island nation the 13th globally and the first in the Asia-Pacific to do so. The nation’s unicameral legislature approved the legislation by a vote of 77-44, with Prime Minister John Key voting in favour. On April 19, the law received the royal assent of the country’s governor-general. It became legislation in August 2013.
Uruguay
A week after the country’s Senate legalised same-sex unions, Uruguay’s lower house of Congress did the same on April 10. The law was enacted on May 3 by President José Mujica, making Uruguay the second nation in Latin America after Argentina to permit same-sex unions. Since 2008, civil unions have been legal in Uruguay, and in 2009, gay and lesbian couples were granted the right to adopt.
Denmark
The Danish parliament approved a bill legalising gay marriage in June 2012. After receiving Queen Margrethe II’s royal assent a few days later, the measure became law.
Argentina
Argentina was the first nation in Latin America to legalise same-sex unions in July 2010. Despite fierce opposition from the Catholic Church and evangelical Protestant churches, the proposal passed both chambers of the Argentine legislature. It was signed into law by President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. All of the legal privileges and obligations enjoyed by heterosexual couples, including the ability to adopt children, are extended to same-sex couples who marry.
Portugal
Portugal became the eighth nation to allow same-sex unions in June 2010. In 2010, its parliament approved a bill making gay marriage legal. Anibal Cavaco Silva, the president of Portugal, requested a review of the law with the Constitutional Court after it was passed. The Constitutional Court ruled that the law was constitutionally legitimate in April 2010. Silva signed it in May of that year, and it took effect one month later. The gay marriage law in Portugal forbids married same-sex couples from adopting children.
Iceland
In June 2010, Iceland’s parliament approved a law allowing same-sex unions. Before the vote, public opinion surveys showed that the proposal was broadly supported, and none of the lawmakers in the nation’s legislature opposed it. Since 1996, Iceland has permitted same-sex couples to register as domestic partners. Ten years later, a law allowing gay couples to adopt children was approved by the parliament.
Sweden
The Swedish parliament approved same-sex marriage by a resounding majority in April 2009. Since 1995, gay couples have been able to file for civil unions in Sweden.
Norway
Gay couples in Norway have been able to legally get married, adopt kids, and use artificial insemination since January 2009. A statute allowing civil partnerships from 1993 was repealed by the new law, which was passed in 2008. Despite opposition from members of the Progress Party and the Christian Democratic Party, as well as a public uproar over state support for fertility treatments for lesbian couples, it was approved.
South Africa
One year after the country’s highest court decided that the prior marriage rules breached the South African Constitution’s guarantee of equal rights, same-sex marriage was made lawful by the South African parliament in November 2006.
Spain
In 2005, a politically split Spanish parliament authorised same-sex unions, ensuring that all married couples, regardless of sexual orientation, would have the same rights. The amended law now states that marriages “will have the same conditions and outcomes when the two people joining the contract are of the same sex or different sexes.”
Canada
When the federal and provincial governments allowed gay and lesbian couples to enter common law marriages in 1999, same-sex couples in Canada benefited most from marriage’s legal protections. Nine of the nation’s 13 provinces and territories eventually legalised same-sex marriage through a string of court challenges that started in 2003. The Canadian parliament passed a law allowing same-sex unions nationwide in 2005. The statute remained untouched after legislators blocked a bid by Canada’s ruling Conservative Party to have it reconsidered in 2006.
Belgium
The Belgian parliament began granting restricted rights to same-sex couples through registered partnerships in 1998. Same-sex couples might officially take on joint household management by registering with the municipal clerk. Same-sex marriage was legal in Belgium five years later, in January 2003, granting gay and lesbian couples the same tax and inheritance rights as heterosexual couples.
The Netherlands
When the Dutch parliament unanimously approved a historic bill enabling same-sex marriage in December 2000, the Netherlands became the first nation to do so. The law granted same-sex couples the ability to be married, get divorced and have children.
Mexico
In 2015, the Mexican Supreme Court delivered a judgement making it easier for gay and lesbian couples to wed. Despite not officially legalising same-sex unions worldwide, the ruling allowed same-sex couples to request a court injunction against state laws that forbid gay marriage. This was a significant step in that direction. In 2010, the Supreme Court of Mexico ruled favour of same-sex unions, stating that such unions performed in Mexico City must be recognised nationwide (Mexico City had legalised gay marriage in December 2009).
Andorra
Recently on February 17, 2023, same-sex marriage became legal in Andorra.
Countries Where Same Sex Marriage Is Legal: FAQs
Same-sex marriage is the union of two people of the same sex who enter into a legally recognised partnership.
Same-sex marriage is legal in 34 countries.
The Netherlands became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001.
Legalising same-sex marriage has varied effects on society, but overall it has increased acceptance and equality for the LGBTQ+ community.
Yes, many countries recognise same-sex marriages performed in other countries, although some may have specific requirements for recognition. It’s important to research the laws of each country before getting married or travelling to ensure legal recognition.
