From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Legal recognition of
same-sex couples |
| Same-sex marriage |
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| Recognized in some regions |
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| Foreign marriages recognized |
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Civil unions and
registered partnerships |
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| Recognized in some regions |
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Argentina (C, RN, VCP)
Australia (ACT, TAS, VIC)
Brazil (RS)
Canada (NS, QC)
Mexico (Coah., DF)
United States (CA, CT, DC, HI, ME, MD, NH, NJ, OR, VT, WA)
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| Unregistered co-habitation |
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| Recognition debated |
United States (IA, IL, MN, NM, NY, RI)
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Recognition granted,
same-sex marriage debated |
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United States (DC, HI, ME, MD, NH, NJ, OR, VT, WA)
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| See also |
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| LGBT portal |
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The act of 23 November 1998 granted statutory cohabitation (Dutch: wettelijke samenwoning; French: cohabitation légale) in Belgium. The act gives limited rights to registered same-sex and opposite-sex couples by inserting a Title V-bis on statutory cohabitation in the Belgian Civil Code and by amending certain provisions of the Belgian Civil Code and the Belgian Judicial Code. However, persons who are not a couple can also make a declaration of statutory cohabitiation; this includes relatives.
The law was legally published on January 12, 1999. It went in force on January 1, 2000, according to a royal order signed on December 14, and published on December 23, 1999. The right to marry was later extended to same-sex couples in 2003 with the same rights and responsibilities as opposite-sex married partners. Neither partner needs to be a Belgian citizen.
[edit] Exceptions
Belgian law since 2006 provides for presumed and/or actual paternity and maternity for any person (regardless of gender) of a married person who gives birth during their marriage. There are also provisions for joint parental responsibility and for adoption of children, by any couple (a single person and/or same-sex or opposite sex couples). This is an odd law because this only came into effect since 2006, three years after same-sex marriage became legal.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
