Editing Civil marriage (section)

==In the modern world==
{{See also|Marriage law}}
[[File:Marriage law.svg|400px|thumb|right|{{center|'''Civil marriage by country'''}}
{{legend|#00ffffff|State recognizes civil marriages only}}
{{legend|#008000ff|State recognizes both civil and certain religious marriages}}
{{legend|#afdde9ff|State recognizes civil marriages; no additional information}}
{{legend|#ff0000ff|State recognizes religious marriages only}}
{{legend|#ff9955ff|Civil marriages only for foreigners}}
{{legend|#ffff00ff|Civil marriages only for non-Muslims}}
]]

===England and Wales===

Today marriages in England or [[Wales]] must be held in authorized premises, which may include register offices, premises such as stately homes, castles, and hotels that have been approved by the local authority, churches or chapels of the Church of England or [[Church in Wales]], and other churches and religious premises that have been registered by the registrar general for marriage.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.weddingguideuk.com/articles/legal/englandwales.asp | publisher = Wedding Guide UK | type = article | title = Legal | contribution = England and Wales |url-status = dead| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130209043344/http://www.weddingguideuk.com/articles/legal/englandwales.asp | archive-date = 2013-02-09 }}</ref>

Civil marriages require a certificate and at times a license, that testify that the couple is fit for marriage.  A short time after they are approved in the superintendent registrar's office, a short non-religious ceremony takes place which the registrar, the couple, and two witnesses must attend; guests may also be present. Reference must not be made to God or any deity, or to a particular religion or denomination: this is strictly enforced, and readings and music in the ceremony must be agreed upon in advance.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://celebratewithmusic.co.uk/songs-you-cant-have-at-a-civil-ceremony/ | publisher = Wedding Music Designer (Simon Jordan) | type = article | title = Music Not Allowed at Civil Ceremonies | date = 30 August 2015 | contribution = England and Wales}}</ref>

===United States===
[[Marriage in the United States]] is largely regulated by state laws, though the [[SCOTUS|Supreme Court]] has the authority to [[judicial review |strike down unconstitutional law]]s (see ''[[Loving v. Virginia]]'' and ''[[Obergefell v. Hodges]]'').

All states and the [[District of Columbia]], as well as [[U.S. territories]], require a marriage license issued by local [[civil authorities]]. As a rule, [[ministers of religion]] (e.g., [[rabbi]]s or [[pastor]]s) are authorized in law to perform marriages, while such state and  local officials as mayors, judges, [[deputy marriage commissioner]]s, and [[justices of the peace]] are empowered to conduct civil wedding ceremonies, which may take place in public offices. Owing to its [[Quaker]] heritage, many counties in the Commonwealth of [[Pennsylvania]] allow [[self-uniting marriage]]s for which no official minister is required. The type of ceremony (religious or civil) has no bearing on the legal validity of the marriage, and there is no requirement to precede a religious rite with a civil ceremony.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} Marriages performed outside of the United States are legally binding if officially recognized by the government of the country in which they are performed.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

===Countries with mandatory civil marriage===
In most [[Europe]]an and [[Latin America]]n countries there is a civil ceremony requirement. Following the civil marriage ceremony, couples are free to marry in a religious ceremony.  Such ceremonies, however, only serve to provide religious recognition of the marriage already recognized by the state. In countries such as [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]], most couples marry without any religious ceremony at all.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-29 |title=Legal wedding in Turkey |url=https://blissfulplans.com/getting-married-in-turkey/ }}</ref> Full formal weddings, complete with [[wedding gown]]s and the presence of family and friends, are usually conducted in special ceremonial rooms in the [[town hall]].{{cn|date=February 2025}}

===Countries with no civil marriage===
There is no civil marriage in many [[Middle Eastern]] countries, including [[Jordan]],<ref>{{Citation | url = http://jordan.usembassy.gov/acs_marriage_in_jordan2.html | title = Marriage in Jordan | publisher = Jordan embassy | place = USA |url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111006030656/http://jordan.usembassy.gov/acs_marriage_in_jordan2.html | archive-date = 2011-10-06 }}</ref> [[Palestine]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Qatar]], [[Iran]], [[Lebanon]], and [[Israel]], as well as [[Libya]] and [[Indonesia]];<ref>{{Citation |title=Marriage in Indonesia |url=http://bccvisalaw.com/marriage/marriage_in_indonesia.php |access-date=2011-08-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103042404/http://bccvisalaw.com/marriage/marriage_in_indonesia.php |archive-date=2011-11-03 |url-status=dead |publisher=BCC Visa Law}}</ref> all marriages are conducted by religious authorities and registered by civil authorities only after having been registered by authorities of officially approved religions or having been registered abroad. Israel and [[Demographics of Lebanon#18 recognized religious groups|Lebanon officially recognize]] [[Islam]], [[Christianity]], [[Druze]], and [[Judaism]] as different religious sects within the legal system; marriage is only possible within the same religion but allowed between different denominations of that religion.<ref>Mikdashi, M. (2022). Sextarianism. In Stanford University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503631564</ref> In [[Lebanon]], depending on gender and religion, [[Interfaith marriage|interfaith marriages]] are permissible. A Muslim man may marry a Christian or Jewish woman, but a Muslim woman may not marry outside her faith. Druze themselves only permit intrafaith marriages. In Lebanon, gender and religion intersect in legal affairs. This intersection is captured by the concept of [[Sextarianism]], which highlights that sectarian divisions and gender inequalities both are reinforced by personal status laws.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mikdashi |first=Maya |title=Sextarianism: sovereignty, secularism, and the state in Lebanon |date=2022 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-1-5036-3156-4 |location=Stanford, California}}</ref> [[Lebanon]] does recognise civil marriages performed abroad,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marriage Lawyers in Lebanon {{!}} Attorneys Beirut {{!}} |url=http://mattarlaw.com/marriage-in-lebanon/ |access-date=2024-02-28}}</ref> but only if the parties to the marriage physically travel outside of Lebanon, which is unfeasible if they are denied a passport by the [[General Directorate of General Security]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherry |first=Enass |date=2023-01-10 |title=Lebanon: Civil Marriages Struck Down for the Sake of "Equality" |url=https://english.legal-agenda.com/lebanon-civil-marriages-struck-down-for-the-sake-of-equality/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=The Legal Agenda}}</ref> By contact, Israeli law recognizes any marriage conducted abroad, even those officiated [[Marriage in Israel#Recognition of civil marriage|remotely by video conference]] in which the parties do not physically leave Israel. [[Malaysia]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]] allow civil marriage for non-Muslims only,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marriage |url=https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/social-affairs/marriage |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=The Official Portal of the UAE Government}}</ref> while in [[Kuwait]], [[Bahrain]] and [[Afghanistan]]<ref>{{Citation | url = http://kabul.usembassy.gov/marriage.html | title = Marriage in Afghanistan | publisher = Kabul embassy | place = USA |url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110906135737/http://kabul.usembassy.gov/marriage.html | archive-date = 2011-09-06 }}</ref> it is allowed for foreign citizens only.

===Civil marriage and other unions of same-sex couples===
[[File:Wedding party at Town Hall.jpg|thumb|People leaving the town hall of [[Høje-Taastrup]], [[Denmark]] following a civil marriage]]
{{Main|Same-sex marriage}}
{{See also|Civil union|Domestic partnership}}

{{asof|2025|01}}, the following jurisdictions permit same-sex marriages:
* [[Same-sex marriage in Andorra|Andorra]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Argentina|Argentina]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Australia|Australia]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Austria|Austria]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Belgium|Belgium]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Brazil|Brazil]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Canada|Canada]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Chile|Chile]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Costa Rica|Costa Rica]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Colombia|Colombia]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Cuba|Cuba]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Denmark|Denmark]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Ecuador|Ecuador]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Estonia|Estonia]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Finland|Finland]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in France|France]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Germany|Germany]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Greece|Greece]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Iceland|Iceland]]
* [[Same sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Liechtenstein|Liechtenstein]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Luxembourg|Luxembourg]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Malta|Malta]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Mexico|Mexico]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands|Netherlands]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in New Zealand|New Zealand]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Norway|Norway]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Portugal|Portugal]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Slovenia|Slovenia]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in South Africa|South Africa]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Spain|Spain]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Sweden|Sweden]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Switzerland|Switzerland]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Taiwan|Taiwan]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Thailand|Thailand]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dysk.onet.pl/file_download/ojqCz |title=Archived copy |website=dysk.onet.pl |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104233805/https://dysk.onet.pl/file_download/ojqCz |archive-date=4 January 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 
* [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|United States]]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Uruguay|Uruguay]]
* [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Israel|Israel]] recognizes same-sex marriage performed abroad<ref>[http://israelinsider.com/Articles1/Politics/9915.htm Israel's Supreme Court approves same-sex marriages performed abroad] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930142016/http://israelinsider.com/Articles1/Politics/9915.htm |date=September 30, 2011 }} Israel Insider, November 21, 2006</ref> 
* [[Recognition of same-sex unions in Armenia|Armenia]] recognizes same-sex marriage performed abroad

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.