Same-sex union legislation

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Same-sex marriage is legal in the following countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands,^{[nb 1]} New Zealand,^{[nb 2]} Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom,^{[nb 3]} the United States,^{[nb 4]} and Uruguay.

Same-sex marriage is recognized, but not performed, in Israel and Namibia. Furthermore, same-sex marriages performed in the Netherlands are recognized in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry has been and remains the topic of debate worldwide. 32 countries and four jurisdictions worldwide have passed constitutional amendments that explicitly prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex marriage and sometimes other forms of legal unions as well. Sixteen countries and 34 jurisdictions worldwide have authorized civil unions or unregistered cohabitation for same-sex couples as an alternative to marriage. The legal name of those unions as well as the number of rights that they provide can vary greatly.

Legislative efforts to recognise same-sex unions[edit]

National level[edit]

The first legislation of unregistered cohabitation was introduced in the Netherlands in June 1979.^[1][2] However, the first substantial recognition of same-sex couples did not occur before the introduction of a new legal form, that of registered partnerships, which was first enacted in Denmark in June 1989.^[3] Many countries have followed with similar legislation since then. Legislation of these forms of legal unions still occur with a variety of different names, even after the introduction of same sex marriage, although sometimes they are overwritten by subsequent legislation of same-sex marriage.

There are currently 11 countries that have an alternative form of legal recognition other than marriage on a national level. Those are Bolivia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro and San Marino.

As of 18 April 2024, legislation to allow an alternative form of legal recognition of same-sex couples other than marriage is pending, or has passed at least one legislative house on a national level in Lithuania and Ukraine.

As of 18 April 2024, same-sex marriage has been legal (nationwide or in some parts) in Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands,^{[nb 1]} New Zealand,^{[nb 2]} Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom,^{[nb 3]} the United States^{[nb 4]} and Uruguay.

As of 18 April 2024, legislation to allow same-sex marriage is being considered in at least one legislative house on a national level in Japan, Liechtenstein, Thailand and Venezuela.

Country	Date	Same-sex union	Upper house		Lower house		Head of state	Law enacted?
			Yes	No	Yes	No
Netherlands	June 1979	Unregistered cohabitation[1][2]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Netherlands	December 1980	Unregistered cohabitation (expansion)[1][2]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Netherlands	November 1984	Unregistered cohabitation (expansion)[1][2]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Denmark	June 1986	Unregistered cohabitation[2][4][5]	—		78	62	Signed	Yes
Sweden	June 1987	Unregistered cohabitation[6]	—		Passed		—[a 1]	Yes
Denmark	June 1989	Registered partnership[7][8]	—		71	47	Signed	Yes[a 2]
Norway	July 1991	Unregistered cohabitation[9]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Norway	April 1993	Registered partnership[10]	18	16	58	40	Signed	Yes[a 2]
Sweden	June 1994	Registered partnership[11]	—		171	141	—[a 1]	Yes[a 2]
Spain	November 1994	Unregistered cohabitation[2]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Hungary	May 1996	Unregistered cohabitation[2][12]	—		207	73	Signed	Yes
Iceland	June 1996	Confirmed cohabitation[13][14]	—		44	1	Signed	Yes[a 2]
Slovakia	May 1997	Registered partnership[15]	—		Failed		—	No
Netherlands	July 1997	Registered partnership[1]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Czech Republic	June 1998	Registered partnership[16]	—	—	Failed		—	No
France	October 1998	Civil solidarity pact[17]	—	—	Failed		—	No
Belgium	January 1999	Legal cohabitation[18][19]	39	8	98	10	Signed	Yes
Sweden	March 1999	Registered partnership (expansion)[20]	—		Passed		—[a 1]	Yes[a 2]
Denmark	June 1999	Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[21]	—		61	48	Signed	Yes[a 2]
France	November 1999	Civil Solidarity Pact and Concubinage[22]	Passed		315	249	Signed	Yes
Czech Republic	December 1999	Registered partnership[23]	—	—	69	91	—	No
Slovakia	February 2000	Registered partnership[15]	—		Failed		—	No
Canada	April 2000	Common-law partnership[24][25][26]	Passed		174	72	Signed	Yes
Iceland	May 2000	Confirmed cohabitation (expansion: adoption and immigration rights)[27]	—		49	1	Signed	Yes[a 2]
Netherlands	December 2000	Marriage[28][29]	49	26	109	33	Signed	Yes
Norway	December 2000	Registered partnership (expansion)[9][30]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
Germany	February 2001	Registered life partnership[31]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
Portugal	March 2001	De facto union[32][33]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
New Zealand	April 2001	De facto relationship[34]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Czech Republic	April 2001	Unregistered cohabitation[35]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Norway	June 2001	Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[36][37]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
Finland	September 2001	Registered partnership[38]	—		99	84	Signed	Yes
Czech Republic	October 2001	Registered partnership[39]	—	—	Failed		—	No
Sweden	June 2002	Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[40]	—		Passed		—[a 1]	Yes[a 2]
Belgium	February 2003	Marriage[41]	46	15	91	22	Signed	Yes
Denmark	May 2003	Registered partnership (expansion)[42]	—		49	60	—	No
Denmark	May 2003	Registered partnership (expansion)[43]	—		45	60	—	No
Denmark	May 2003	Registered partnership (expansion)[44]	—		43	61	—	No
Denmark	June 2003	Registered partnership (expansion)[45]	—		11	94	—	No
Croatia	July 2003	Unregistered cohabitation[46]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Luxembourg	May 2004	Free union[47]	—		Failed		—	No
Luxembourg	May 2004	Marriage[48]	—		Failed		—	No
Luxembourg	July 2004	Partnership[49]	—		33	7	Signed	Yes
Panama	September 2004	Civil union[50]	—		Failed		—	No
Germany	October 2004	Registered life partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[51]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
Norway	November 2004	Marriage[52]	—		Failed		—	No
United Kingdom	November 2004	Civil partnership[53]	251	136	426	49	Signed	Yes
New Zealand	November 2004	De facto relationship (expansion)[54]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
New Zealand	December 2004	Civil union[55]	—		65	55	Signed	Yes
Czech Republic	February 2005	Registered partnership[56]	—	—	Failed		—	No
Andorra	March 2005	Stable couple union[57]	—		Passed		Signed [a 3]	Yes
Slovenia	March 2005	Registered partnership[58]	—[a 4]		Failed		—	No
New Zealand	March 2005	Civil union and de facto relationship (expansion)[59][60]	—		76	43	Signed	Yes
Sweden	June 2005	Registered partnership (expansion)[61]	—		Passed		—[a 1]	Yes[a 2]
Switzerland	June 2005	Registered partnership[62]	Passed		Passed		—	Yes
			Specific referendum (58.04%)
Spain	July 2005	Marriage[63]	Vetoed [a 5]		183	136	Signed	Yes
Canada	July 2005	Marriage[64]	47	21	158	133	Signed	Yes
Slovenia	July 2005	Partnership[65]	—[a 4]		44	3	Signed	Yes
Croatia	October 2005	Registered partnership[66]	—		Failed		—	No
Czech Republic	March 2006	Registered partnership[67]	65	14	86	54	Vetoed [a 6]	Yes
Belgium	May 2006	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[68][69]	34	33	77	62	Signed	Yes
Spain	May 2006	Marriage (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[70]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Denmark	June 2006	Registered partnership (expansion)[71]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
Iceland	June 2006	Confirmed cohabitation (expansion)[72][73]	—		41	0	Signed	Yes[a 2]
France	June 2006	Civil Solidarity Pact (expansion)[74]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
South Africa	November 2006	Marriage and civil partnership[75]	36	11	229	41	Signed	Yes
Portugal	December 2006	De facto union (expansion: immigration rights)[76]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Finland	December 2006	Registered partnership (expansion)[77][78]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Spain	March 2007	Marriage (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[70]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Colombia	June 2007	Civil union[79]	29	34	62	43	—	No
Hungary	December 2007	Registered partnership[80]	—		185	154	Signed	No[a 7]
Uruguay	December 2007	Cohabitation union[81][82]	17	5	Passed		Signed	Yes
Iceland	May 2008	Confirmed cohabitation (expansion)[83][84]	—		54	0	Signed	Yes[a 2]
Norway	June 2008	Marriage[85]	23	17	84	41	Signed	Yes
Ecuador	September 2008	De facto union[86]	General constitutional referendum (69.46%)					Yes
Portugal	October 2008	Marriage[87]	—		Failed		—	No
Portugal	October 2008	Marriage[87]	—		Failed		—	No
United Kingdom	November 2008	Civil partnership (expansion)[88]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Australia	November 2008	De facto relationship[89]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Sweden	April 2009	Marriage[90]	—		261	22	—[a 1]	Yes
Hungary	April 2009	Registered partnership[91][92]	—		199	159	Signed	Yes
France	May 2009	Recognition of unions performed abroad as PACS[93]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Finland	May 2009	Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[94]	—		108	29	Signed	Yes
Denmark	June 2009	Registered partnership (expansion)[95]	—		107	2	Signed	Yes[a 2]
Portugal	August 2009	De facto union (expansion: inheritance rights)[96]	—		Passed		Vetoed	No
Uruguay	September 2009	Cohabitation union (expansion: adoption rights)[97][98]	17	6	40	13	Signed	Yes
Austria	December 2009	Registered partnership[99]	44	8	110	64	Signed	Yes
Portugal	January 2010	Marriage[100]	—		Failed		—	No
Portugal	January 2010	Marriage[101]	—		Failed		—	No
Portugal	January 2010	Registered civil union[102]	—		Failed		—	No
Australia	February 2010	Marriage[103]	5	45	—	—	—	No
Portugal	May 2010	Marriage[104]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Denmark	May 2010	Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[105]	—		60	54	Signed	Yes[a 2]
Denmark	June 2010	Marriage[106]	—		52	57	—	No
Iceland	June 2010	Marriage[107][108]	—		49	0	Signed	Yes
Ireland	July 2010	Civil partnership and unregistered cohabitation[109][110]	48	4	Passed		Signed	Yes
Argentina	July 2010	Marriage[111]	33	27	126	110	Signed	Yes
Luxembourg	August 2010	Partnership (expansion)[112]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Portugal	August 2010	De facto union (expansion: inheritance rights)[113][114]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Germany	September 2010	Marriage[115]	Failed		—		—	No
Germany	October 2010	Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[116]	—		Failed		—	No
Germany	April 2011	Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law and adoption rights)[117]	Failed		—		—	No
Liechtenstein	June 2011	Registered partnership[118]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
			Specific referendum (68.76%)
France	June 2011	Marriage[119]	—	—	222	293	—	No
Germany	June 2011	Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[120]	Failed		—		—	No
Portugal	February 2012	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[121]	—		Failed		—	No
Portugal	February 2012	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[121]	—		Failed		—	No
Slovenia	March 2012	Partnership (expansion)[122]	Specific referendum (45.36%)					No
Israel	May 2012	Marriage[123]	—		11	39	—	No
Denmark	June 2012	Marriage[124]	—		85	24	Signed	Yes
Germany	June 2012	Marriage[125][126]	—	—	260	309	—	No
San Marino	June 2012	Unregistered cohabitation (only one entitlement)[127]	—		33	20	Signed	Yes
Australia	September 2012	Marriage[128]	—	—	42	98	—	No
Australia	September 2012	Marriage[129]	26	41	—	—	—	No
Germany	October 2012	Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[130]	—	—	253	288	—	No
Slovakia	November 2012	Registered partnership[131]	—		14	94	—	No
Poland	January 2013	Registered partnership[132][133]	—	—	Failed		—	No
Poland	January 2013	Registered partnership[134][135]	—	—	Failed		—	No
Poland	January 2013	Registered partnership[136]	—	—	Failed		—	No
Poland	January 2013	Registered partnership[137]	—	—	Failed		—	No
Poland	January 2013	Partnership agreement[138][139]	—	—	Failed		—	No
Germany	March 2013	Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[140][141]	Passed		—	—	—	No
Germany	March 2013	Marriage[142]	Passed		—	—	—	No
New Zealand	April 2013	Marriage[143]	—		77	44	Signed	Yes
Colombia	April 2013	Marriage[144]	17	51	—	—	—	No
Uruguay	May 2013	Marriage[145][146]	23	8	71	21	Signed	Yes
Portugal	May 2013	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[147]	—		77	104	—	No
Portugal	May 2013	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[147]	—		Failed		—	No
Portugal	May 2013	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[147]	—		Failed		—	No
France	May 2013	Marriage[148][149]	171	165	331	225	Signed	Yes
Australia	June 2013	Recognition of marriage performed abroad[150]	28	44	—	—	—	No
Germany	July 2013	Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[151][152]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
United Kingdom (England and Wales)	July 2013	Marriage[153][154]	Passed		366	161	Signed	Yes
Austria	July 2013	Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[155][156]	45	8	Passed		Signed	Yes
Philippines	October 2013	Registered partnership[157]	—		Failed		—	No
Netherlands	December 2013	Marriage (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[158][159]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Portugal	March 2014	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[160]	—		107	112	—	No
Malta	April 2014	Civil union[161]	—		37	0	Signed	Yes
Belgium	May 2014	Marriage (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[162][163]	48	2	114	10	Signed	Yes
Germany	May 2014	Registered life partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[164][165]	—	—	111	432	—	No
Andorra	May 2014	Marriage[166][167]	—		6	21	—	No
Germany	June 2014	Registered life partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[168]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
Romania	June 2014	Civil partnership[169][170]	2	110	4	298	—	No
Luxembourg	June 2014	Marriage[171][172]	—		56	4	—[a 8]	Yes
Croatia	July 2014	Life partnership[173]	—		89	16	—[a 9]	Yes
Germany	July 2014	Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[174][175][176]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
San Marino	September 2014	Recognition of marriage performed abroad[177]	—		15	35	—	No
Argentina	October 2014	Cohabitation union[178][179]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Andorra	December 2014	Civil union[180][181]	—		20	3	Signed	Yes
Portugal	January 2015	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[182][183]	—		89	119	—	No
Portugal	January 2015	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[182][183]	—		91	119	—	No
Portugal	January 2015	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[182][183]	—		91	120	—	No
Portugal	January 2015	Marriage (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[182][183]	—		Failed		—	No
Ireland	April 2015	Civil partnership and unregistered cohabitation (expansion: step-adoption rights)[184][185]	20	2	Passed		Signed	Yes
Chile	April 2015	Civil union agreement[186][187]	25	6	78	9	Signed	Yes
Ecuador	June 2015	De facto union (expansion)[188][189][190][191]	—		89	1	Signed	Yes
Israel	July 2015	Civil union[192]	—		39	50	—	No
Israel	July 2015	Marriage[192]	—		39	50	—	No
Ireland	August 2015	Marriage (constitutional amendment)[193]	29	3	Passed		Signed	Yes
			Specific constitutional referendum (62.07%)
	October 2015	Marriage (statutory legislation)[194][195][196]	Passed		Passed		Signed
Germany	November 2015	Registered life partnership (expansion)[197][198]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes[a 2]
Cyprus	December 2015	Civil cohabitation[199][200]	—		39	12	Signed	Yes
Romania	December 2015	Civil partnership[201][202][203]	8	49	Failed		—	No
Slovenia	December 2015	Marriage[204][205]	—[a 4]		51	28	—	No
			Specific referendum (36.53%)
Greece	December 2015	Cohabitation agreement[206]	—		194	55	Signed	Yes
Estonia	October 2014	Cohabitation agreement (framework law)[207][208]	—		40	38	Signed	Yes
	January 2016	Cohabitation agreement (implementation law)[209][210]	—		Failed		—	No
Portugal	February 2016	Marriage and de facto union (expansion: adoption rights)[211]	—		Passed		Vetoed [a 6]	Yes
Israel	February 2016	Civil union[212]	—		40	47	—	No
Switzerland	March 2016	Registered partnership (expansion: immigration rights)[213][214]	—	—	122	62	—	No
Luxembourg	April 2016	Recognition of marriage performed abroad before 1 January 2015[215]	—		50	3	—[a 8]	Yes
Slovenia	April 2016	Partnership (expansion)[216][217]	—[a 4]		54	15	—[a 9]	Yes
Italy	May 2016	Civil union and cohabitation agreement[218][219][220]	173	71	372	51	Signed	Yes
Portugal	June 2016	Marriage and de facto union (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[221]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Switzerland	June 2016	Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[222][223]	25	14	125	68	—	Yes
Liechtenstein	November 2016	Registered partnership (expansion)[224][225]	—		25	0	Signed	Yes
Greece	December 2016	Cohabitation agreement (expansion)[226][227]	—		201	21	Signed	Yes
Austria	December 2016	Registered partnership (expansion)[228]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Finland	February 2015	Marriage (framework law)[229]	—		101	90	Signed	Yes
	April 2016	Marriage (implementation laws)[230][231][232]	—		106	42	Signed
	January 2017		—		128	28	Signed
Malta	April 2017	Cohabitation[233]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Lithuania	June 2017	Partnership[234][235]	—		29	59	—	No
Ireland	July 2017	Civil partnership and unregistered cohabitation (expansion: adoption rights)[236][237]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Germany	July 2017	Marriage[238][239][240]	Passed		393	226	Signed	Yes
Malta	August 2017	Marriage[241][242]	—		66	1	Signed	Yes
Philippines	October 2017	Civil partnership[243]	—		Failed		—	No
Chile	November 2017	Civil union agreement (expansion)[244][245][246][247]	15	0	70	0	Signed	Yes
Australia	December 2017	Marriage[248][249]	43	12	131	4	Signed	Yes
Finland	April 2018	Marriage (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[250]	—		122	42	Signed	Yes
Greece	May 2018	Cohabitation agreement (expansion: foster care)[251][252]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Israel	June 2018	Marriage[253]	—		39	42	—	No
Malta	June 2018	Marriage, civil union and cohabitation (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[254][255]	—		34	27	Signed	Yes
Slovakia	September 2018	Registered partnership[256][257]	—		Failed		—	No
San Marino	November 2018	Civil union[258][259]	—		40	4	Signed	Yes
Mexico	November 2018	Marriage (codification of federal recognition)[260][261][262][263][264]	110	0	415	0	Published	Yes
Cuba	December 2018	Marriage[265][266]	—		Failed		—	No
Germany	December 2018	Marriage (codification)[267][268]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Romania	March 2019	Civil partnership[269][270][271]	2	68	Failed		—	No
Taiwan	May 2019	Marriage[272][273]	—		66	27	Signed	Yes
Philippines	July 2019	Civil partnership[274][275]	—		Failed		—	No
Philippines	July 2019	Registered partnership[276]	Failed		—		—	No
Austria	July 2019	Marriage (expansion)[277][278]	Passed		Passed		—	Yes
United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)	July 2019	Marriage[279][280]	Passed		328	65	Signed	Yes
Montenegro	July 2019	Life partnership[281]	—		38	4	—	No
Monaco	December 2019	Cohabitation agreement[282]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Montenegro	July 2020	Life partnership[283]	—		42	5	Signed	Yes
Lithuania	May 2021	Partnership[284]	—		63	58	—	No
San Marino	June 2021	Civil union (expansion)[285]	—		31	1	Signed	Yes
France	August 2021	Marriage (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[286][287][288]	326	115	Passed		Signed	Yes
Switzerland	September 2021	Marriage[289][290][291]	22	15	132	52	—	Yes
			Specific referendum (64.10%)
Chile	December 2021	Marriage[292][293][294][295][296]	21	8	80	20	Signed	Yes
Costa Rica	May 2022	De facto union[297]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Andorra	August 2022	Marriage[298][299]	—		18	6	Signed	Yes
Cuba	July 2022	Marriage and civil union[300]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
	September 2022		Specific Referendum (66.87%)[301]
Slovenia	October 2022	Marriage and adoption rights (codification)[302][303]	17	11	48	29	Suspensory Veto	Yes
			—		51	24	Published
Slovakia	October 2022	Civil cohabitation[304]	—		31	53	—	No
United States	December 2022	Marriage (codification of federal recognition; requiring states and territories to recognize)[305]	61	36	259	168	Signed	Yes
Latvia	December 2022	Civil union[306]	—		—		Failed	No
Peru	December 2022	Marriage[307]	—		—		Failed	No
Andorra	January 2023	Marriage (codification)[308]	—		23	1	Signed	Yes
Taiwan	June 2023	Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[309]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Estonia	June 2023	Marriage[310][311]	—		55	34	Signed	Yes
Latvia	January 2024	Partnership[312][313]	—		53	43	Signed	Yes
Greece	February 2024	Marriage[314][315]	—		175	77	Signed	Yes
Czech Republic	Unknown	Partnership (expansion) [316][317][318]			Pending
Liechtenstein	Unknown	Marriage[319][320]	—		24	1	Pending
Thailand	Unknown	Marriage	Pending		400	10
San Marino	December 2017	Marriage (for foreign couples - agreement in principle)[321][322]	—		25	20	Signed
	Unknown	Marriage (for foreign couples - statutory legislation)	—
Italy	Unknown	Marriage[323][324]	—
Japan	Unknown	Marriage[325]			Proposed
Lithuania	Unknown	Civil partnership[326]	—		Proposed
Peru	Unknown	Civil union[327]	—		Proposed
Philippines	Unknown	Civil union[328]	Proposed		Proposed[a 10]
Poland	Unknown	Civil partnership[329]	Proposed		Proposed
Ukraine	Unknown	Civil partnership[330]	—		Proposed
Venezuela	Unknown	Marriage[331]	—		Proposed

Notes:

Sub-national level[edit]

In countries with a federal system of governance, states and territories often may grant recognition to same-sex couples in their own jurisdictions, although unitary states with a level of devolution, such as Spain or the United Kingdom, also offer such powers to local authorities. The first jurisdiction to enact unregistered cohabitation was British Columbia in Canada in July 1992. The first jurisdiction to legalize registered partnership was Greenland as part of the Kingdom of Denmark in April 1996. Finally, the first sub-national jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage was the Canadian province of Ontario in June 2003.

As of 18 April 2024, there are 15 sub-national jurisdictions worldwide that have legalized some kind of alternative form of legal union of same-sex couples other than marriage. Those are:

• In Japan:
  • Twelve prefectures of Japan (Akita, Aomori, Fukuoka, Gunma, Ibaraki, Mie, Osaka, Saga, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokyo, and Toyama);
• Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
• Two British overseas territories (Bermuda, Cayman Islands).

For the time being, 61 sub-national jurisdictions worldwide have legalized same-sex marriage in nations where same-sex marriage is not legal throughout the nation's territory. Those are:

• Fifty-one Native American Tribal Nations, namely the Ak-Chin Indian Community, the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Blackfeet Nation, the Blue Lake Rancheria, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, the Cherokee Nation, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, the Chickasaw Nation, the Choctaw Nation, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Hannahville Indian Community, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Northern Arapaho Tribe, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the Osage Nation, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, the Prairie Island Indian Community, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the San Carlos Apache Tribe, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, the Suquamish Tribe, the Tulalip, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and the Yavapai-Apache Nation.
• The British Overseas Territories of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the British Crown dependencies of Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey, and Guernsey's own dependencies of Alderney and Sark.

State/Territory	Country	Date	Same-sex union	Upper House		Lower house		Head of State	Law enacted?
				Yes	No	Yes	No
British Columbia	Canada	July 1992	Marriage-like relationship[332][333]	—		30	17	Signed	Yes
British Columbia	Canada	July 1993	Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[334]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
British Columbia	Canada	July 1993	Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[335]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
British Columbia	Canada	July 1993	Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[336]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Australian Capital Territory	Australia	May 1994	Domestic relationship[337]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Ontario	Canada	June 1994	Domestic partnership[338]	—		58	69	—	No
British Columbia	Canada	June 1995	Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[339]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
British Columbia	Canada	July 1995	Marriage-like relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[340]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Greenland	Denmark	May 1993	Inatsisartut: Registered partnership (resolution)[341]	—		15	0	—	Yes
		April 1996	Folketing: Registered partnership (statutory law)[342][343]	—		104	1	Signed
Ceuta	Spain	April 1997	De facto union[344]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
British Columbia	Canada	July 1997	Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[345]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Catalonia	Spain	June 1998	Stable couple union[346][347]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Yukon	Canada	December 1998	Unregistered cohabitation[348]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Aragon	Spain	March 1999	Stable non-married couple[346][349]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Yukon	Canada	April 1999	Unregistered cohabitation (expansion)[350][351]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Alberta	Canada	May 1999	Unregistered cohabitation[352]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Quebec	Canada	May 1999	De facto union[353]	—		80	0	Signed	Yes
New South Wales	Australia	June 1999	De facto relationship[354]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
British Columbia	Canada	July 1999	Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[355]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Ontario	Canada	October 1999	Conjugal relationship[356]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Navarre	Spain	July 2000	Stable couple[346][357]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Castile-La Mancha	Spain	July 2000	De facto couple[358]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
British Columbia	Canada	July 2000	Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[359]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Australian Capital Territory	Australia	August 2000	Domestic relationship (expansion)[360]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Nova Scotia	Canada	November 2000	Domestic partnership[361][362]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada	December 2000	Conjugal relationship[363]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
New Brunswick	Canada	December 2000	Family relationship[364]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Geneva	Switzerland	February 2001	Registered partnership[365][366]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Valencia	Spain	April 2001	De facto union[367]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Victoria	Australia	June 2001	Domestic relationship[368]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Manitoba	Canada	July 2001	Common-law relationships[369]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Saskatchewan	Canada	July 2001	Spousal relationship[370]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Saskatchewan	Canada	July 2001	Spousal relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[371]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Victoria	Australia	November 2001	Domestic relationship (expansion)[372]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada	December 2001	Conjugal relationship (expansion)[373]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Balearic Islands	Spain	December 2001	Stable couple[374]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Madrid	Spain	December 2001	De facto union[346][375]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada	April 2002	Conjugal relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[376]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Western Australia	Australia	April 2002	De facto relationship[377]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Yukon	Canada	May 2002	Unregistered cohabitation (expansion: adoption rights)[378]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Asturias	Spain	May 2002	Stable couple[379]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Northwest Territories	Canada	June 2002	Unregistered cohabitation[350][380]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Quebec	Canada	June 2002	Civil union[381]	—		87	0	Signed	Yes
Manitoba	Canada	August 2002	Common-law relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[382]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Manitoba	Canada	August 2002	Common-law relationship (expansion)[383]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Zürich	Switzerland	September 2002	Registered partnership[384]	Specific cantonal referendum (62.70%)					Yes
New South Wales	Australia	October 2002	De facto relationship (expansion)[385][386]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Castile and León	Spain	October 2002	De facto union[387]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Alberta	Canada	December 2002	Adult interdependent relationship[388]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Queensland	Australia	December 2002	De facto relationship[389]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Andalusia	Spain	December 2002	De facto couple[346][390]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Prince Edward Island	Canada	December 2002	Unregistered cohabitation[391]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Autonomous City of Buenos Aires	Argentina	January 2003	Civil union[392][393]	—		29	10	Signed	Yes
Canary Islands	Spain	March 2003	De facto couple[346][394]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Extremadura	Spain	March 2003	De facto couple[346][395]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Basque Country	Spain	May 2003	De facto couple[346][396]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Río Negro	Argentina	May 2003	Civil union[397]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
South Australia	Australia	June 2003	Unregistered cohabitation[398]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Tasmania	Australia	September 2003	Significant relationship and caring relationship[399]	Passed		Passed		Signed	Yes
Australian Capital Territory	Australia	January 2004	Domestic relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[400]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Neuchâtel	Switzerland	January 2004	Registered partnership[401]	—		65	38	Signed	Yes
Northern Territory	Australia	January 2004	De facto relationship[402][403]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Aragon	Spain	May 2004	Stable non-married couple (expansion: adoption rights)[404]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Fribourg	Switzerland	May 2004	Registered partnership[401][405]	General cantonal referendum (58.03%)					Yes
City of Sydney	Australia	July 2004	Relationship declaration program[406]	—		Passed		Signed	Yes
Quebec	Canada	November 2004	Marriage (codification)[ × × €4.95 / month Favourites List Audio Listining Color Mode Monthly New Updates Fullname * Email * Credit or debit card Subscribe A PHP Error was encountered Severity: Notice Message: Undefined variable: userid Filename: user/popup_modal.php Line Number: 68 Backtrace: File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_modal.php Line: 68 Function: _error_handler File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php Line: 478 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/controllers/Main.php Line: 107 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/index.php Line: 315 Function: require_once "> Subscribe Now Premium Membership × €4.95 € 9.90 / month Create a Premium Account quick and easy Save your Favourite Pages Listen to any page in Audio Colour Night Mode Create your Account Modal title × Close Save changes Cancel Subscription × Same-sex_union_legislation" id="cancelSubscription" name="cancelSubscription" class="mb-0"> Are you sure you want to cancel your membership with us? A PHP Error was encountered Severity: Notice Message: Undefined variable: user_membership Filename: user/popup_modal.php Line Number: 192 Backtrace: File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_modal.php Line: 192 Function: _error_handler File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php Line: 478 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/controllers/Main.php Line: 107 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/index.php Line: 315 Function: require_once A PHP Error was encountered Severity: Warning Message: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() Filename: user/popup_modal.php Line Number: 192 Backtrace: File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_modal.php Line: 192 Function: _error_handler File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php Line: 478 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/controllers/Main.php Line: 107 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/index.php Line: 315 Function: require_once A PHP Error was encountered Severity: Notice Message: Undefined variable: userid Filename: user/popup_modal.php Line Number: 208 Backtrace: File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_modal.php Line: 208 Function: _error_handler File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php Line: 478 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/controllers/Main.php Line: 107 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/index.php Line: 315 Function: require_once "> Yes Cancel Continue Subscription Harry Potter Books × A PHP Error was encountered Severity: Notice Message: Undefined variable: products Filename: user/popup_harry_book.php Line Number: 24 Backtrace: File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_harry_book.php Line: 24 Function: _error_handler File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php Line: 479 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/controllers/Main.php Line: 107 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/index.php Line: 315 Function: require_once A PHP Error was encountered Severity: Warning Message: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() Filename: user/popup_harry_book.php Line Number: 24 Backtrace: File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_harry_book.php Line: 24 Function: _error_handler File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php Line: 479 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/controllers/Main.php Line: 107 Function: view File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/index.php Line: 315 Function: require_once