page_title: Civil marriage
section_title: Civil marriage and other unions of same-sex couples
hierarchical_section_title: Civil marriage / Civil marriage in the world currently / Civil marriage and other unions of same-sex couples
caption_attribution_description: Wedding party at the entryway to Høje Taastrup Town Hall after a civil marriage. Høje Taastrup, Denmark. Photographer: Dan Simon
context_page_description: A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded and recognised by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religious body and recognised by the state, or it may be entirely secular.
context_section_description: As of December 2018, there were several jurisdictions which permitted same-sex marriages, namely Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Kingdom of Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, both Taiwan and Austria by federal high court rulings (both not yet in effect until 2019 and Costa Rica in effect by 2020), England, Wales, Scotland (neither Northern Ireland nor Sark are as yet included in the UK), the Isle of Man, Falkland Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Bermuda (despite ongoing legal appeals), Pitcairn Islands, Gibraltar, Akrotiri and Dhekelia, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Antarctic Territory, Ascension Island, Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha, United States and Uruguay. Also several states within Mexico - namely Mexico City, Baja California, Campeche, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Quintana Roo, Guerrero, Querétaro and Puebla. Israel, Armenia recognizes same-sex civil marriages abroad from other countries - but does not allow same-sex marriages to be performed within borders. Northern Ireland recognises same-sex civil partnerships but not same-sex marriages, and treats foreign same-sex marriages (including those from the rest of the UK) as civil partnerships.
  In 22 countries worldwide and in several jurisdictions within Mexico, a same-sex couple can be legally partnered in a civil union, domestic partnership or registered partnership. Couples in these unions or partnerships are afforded rights and obligations similar to, but not identical to, those of a married couple.
caption: People leaving the town hall of Høje, Denmark following a civil marriage
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