To date, it is the only country allowing legal marriage. The Netherlands Senate voted to extend full, legal marriage for same-sex couples on December 19, 2000. The lower house had voted their approval on September 12, 2000.
Marriage is available only to citizens and legal residents of the Netherlands.
Residency can be established by using a Dutch address for at least four months. The new law also allows those who have already signed up as domestic partners to convert them to full, legal marriage status. The Netherlands began registering legal partnerships for same-sex couples in 1998. About 9,500 couples have registered through July 2000.