Civil union in Belgium

The act of 23 November 1998 granted "statutory cohabitation" ( _nl. wettelijke samenwoning; _fr. 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.

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 affect since 2006, three years after same-sex marriage became legal.

ee also

*LGBT rights in Belgium
*Same-sex marriage in Belgium

External links

* [http://www.juridat.be/ Belgium - Department of Justice]