Recognition of same-sex unions in Oceania

Oceania

  Same-sex marriage

  Other type of partnership (or unregistered cohabitation)

  No recognition

  Same-sex sexual activity illegal

Legal status of same-sex unions
Marriage Performed Argentina Belgium Brazil Canada Denmark: · Denmark proper · Greenland* Finland* France Iceland Ireland Luxembourg Mexico: · CH, CA, GR^3, JA* · NA, QR, DF Netherlands: · Netherlands proper New Zealand: · New Zealand proper Norway Portugal South Africa Spain Sweden United Kingdom: · England and Wales · Scotland · Pitcairn Islands United States: · United States proper · GU, MP, PR, VI · some tribal jurisdictions Uruguay Recognized Israel Malta Mexico^1 Netherlands: · AW, CW, SX^2 United Kingdom: · Guernsey* Civil unions and registered partnerships Andorra Australia: · ACT, NSW, QLD, · SA, TAS, VIC Austria Chile Colombia Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Ecuador Estonia Germany Greece Hungary Italy: · various jurisdictions Japan: · various jurisdictions Liechtenstein Malta Mexico: · CM, CL, MC* Slovenia Switzerland Taiwan: · KHH, NWT, TXG, TPE United Kingdom: · Northern Ireland · Isle of Man · Jersey · Gibraltar Unregistered cohabitation Australia Costa Rica Israel San Marino See also Same-sex union legislation Same-sex union court cases Timeline of same-sex marriage Recognition of same-sex unions in Europe Recognition of same-sex unions in North America Recognition of same-sex unions in Oceania Recognition of same-sex unions in South America Marriage privatization Divorce of same-sex couples Domestic partnership Military policy Adoption Listings by country
When performed in Mexican states that have legalized same-sex marriage When performed in the Netherlands proper Marriages performed in some municipalities and recognized by the state * Not yet in effect
LGBT portal

Debate has occurred throughout Oceania over proposals to legalize same-sex marriage as well as civil unions.

Currently two countries and seven dependent territories in Oceania recognize some type of same-sex unions. One Oceanian country, New Zealand,^{[nb 1]} and seven territories, namely French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Pitcairn Islands and Wallis and Futuna allow same-sex couples to legally marry. One country, Australia, recognizes unregistered cohabitation as well as six of its jurisdictions having some form of civil unions. Additionally, as a territory of Chile, Easter Island performs civil unions.

Current situation

National level

Status	Country	Legal since	Country population (Last Census count)
Marriage (1 country)	New Zealand	2013[1]	4,242,048
Subtotal	—	—	4,242,048 (12.7% of the Oceanian population)
Unregistered cohabitation (1 country)	Australia	2009[2][3]	21,507,717
Subtotal	—	—	21,507,717 (64.8% of the Oceanian population)
Total	—	—	25,749,765 (77.5% of the Oceanian population)
No recognition ( 11 countries)
	Federated States of Micronesia	—	135,869
	Fiji	—	856,346
	Kiribati	—	96,335
	Marshall Islands	—	73,630
	Nauru	—	12,329
	Papua New Guinea	—	5,172,033
	Samoa	—	179,000
	Solomon Islands	—	494,786
	Tonga	—	106,137
	Tuvalu	—	11,146
	Vanuatu	—	240,000
Subtotal	—	—	7,377,611 (22.4% of the Oceanian population)
Constitutional ban on marriage ( 1 country)	Palau	2008[4][5]	19,409
Subtotal	—	—	7,397,020 (0.1% of the Oceanian population)
Total	—	—	7,397,020 (22.5% of the Oceanian population)

Sub-national level

Status	Country	Jurisdiction	Legal since
Marriage (7 jurisdictions)
	France	New Caledonia French Polynesia Wallis and Futuna	2013[6]
	United Kingdom	Pitcairn Islands	2015[7]
	United States	Guam (2015)[8] Hawaii (2013)[9] Northern Mariana Islands (2015)[10]	Varies
Other type of partnership (7 jurisdictions)
	Australia	Australian Capital Territory (2008)[11] New South Wales (2010)[12] Queensland (2012)[13] South Australia (2007)[14][15] Tasmania (2004)[16][17] Victoria (2008)[18]	Varies
	Chile	Easter Island	2015
No recognition (3 jurisdictions)
	New Zealand	Cook Islands Niue Tokelau	—
Legality of recognition ambiguous or unknown (1 jurisdiction)
	United States	American Samoa[19][20][21]	—

See also

• LGBT rights in Oceania

Notes

1. Excluding Tokelau, Niue and the Cook Islands.

References

1. Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013
2. Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws—Superannuation) Act 2008
3. Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws—General Law Reform) Act 2008
4. Constitutional proposal 2-274: Marriages between men and women only
5. The Rights and Liberties of the Palau Constitution by Kevin Bennardo
6. (French) LOI n° 2013-404 du 17 mai 2013 ouvrant le mariage aux couples de personnes de même sexe
7. Same Sex Marriage and Civil Partnership Ordinance 2015
8. Chief Judge Frances M. Tydingco-Gatewood, District Court of Guam, Order and Opinion Re: Motion for Summary Judgement, Aguero v. Calvo Case 1:15-cv-00009, 8 June 2015
9. Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013
10. De La Torre, Ferdie (June 30, 2015). "AG says they will be working with Inos admin in drafting regs". Saipan Tribune. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
11. Civil Unions Act 2012
12. RELATIONSHIPS REGISTER ACT 2010
13. RELATIONSHIPS ACT 2011
14. Statutes Amendment (Domestic Partners) Act 2006
15. Statutes Amendment (Domestic Partners) Act (Commencement) Proclamation 2007
16. RELATIONSHIPS ACT 2003
17. PROCLAMATION UNDER THE RELATIONSHIPS ACT 2003 (S.R. 2003, NO. 174)
18. RELATIONSHIPS ACT 2008 (NO. 12 OF 2008)
19. Gonzales-Pagan, Omar. "No Same-Sex Couple Left Behind: SCOTUS Ruling for the Freedom to Marry Would Apply with Equal Force to U.S. Territories". Lambda Legal. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
20. "American Samoa is lone US territory questioning gay marriage validity; no licenses sought". U.S. News and World Report. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
21. "Same-sex marriage: American Samoa may be the only territory in the US where the historic Supreme Court ruling does not apply". The Independent. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.