Gay expats can marry in Belgium

26 January 2004

BRUSSELS – Non-Belgian same-sex couples will now be able to marry in Belgium thanks to a recent amendment to the country’s ‘gay weddings’ law.

From 6 February, the Belgian state will recognise marriages between non-Belgian gay couples provided at least on partner lives in or visits the country regularly.

Before the planned changes to the law were announced last Friday only gay couples from European countries where gay marriages are legal could get hitched here. In reality this meant Dutch people and Belgians.

But under the new legislation, non-Belgian gay couples can tie the knot here even if their home countries do not recognise same-sex marriages.

The ruling could prove useful to gay expat Americans for example, as President George W Bush recently hinted he may ban individual US states from recognising gay marriages.

Subject: Belgian news