Belgium gay marriage
Marriage Equality Around the World
The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the earth. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of society, national and regional advocates and divide tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower movements for marriage equality.
Current State of Marriage Equality
There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the Joined Kingdom, the Joined States of America and Uruguay.
These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions.
Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in 2025
Liechtenstein: On May 16, 2024, Liechtenstein's government passed a bill in favor of marriage equality. The law went into effect January 1, 2025.
Marriages and legal cohabitations down in 2023, anniversary year of same-sex marriage
In 2023, 46,564 marriages were registered in Belgium, i.e. a decrease of 4% compared to the previous year. While the northern and southern regions followed the national trend (-4.3% in Flanders and -4.4% in Wallonia), the Brussels-Capital Region was fairly stable (+0.4%). This brings us closer to the values observed before the pandemic, when we were fluctuating between 44,000 and 45,000 marriages a year in Belgium.
The same trend can be seen in the number of declarations of legal cohabitation, down by 3.6% compared to 2022, with 36,990 recent declarations. There is a certain regional homogeneity here: -3.1% in the Walloon Region, -3.2% in the Brussels-Capital Region and -3.9% in the Flemish Region.
There were 20,034 divorces in 2023. This is a 3.6% increase compared to 2022. While this number is almost constant in Wallonia (+0.2%), it is rising in the other two regions (+10.3% in Brussels-Capital and +4.5% in Flanders).
As for terminations of legal cohabitation, they persist relatively stable: -0.4% at national level, +2% in the Brussels-Capital Region, -0.2% in Flanders and -0.9% in Wallonia
Registry
Basic conditions for marriageFor each future spouse, the basic conditions for the marriage are executed by the laws of the country of which he or she is a national at the time the marriage is contracted.
If you are Belgian and you want to get married abroad, the basic conditions for the marriage relating to you will be dictated by Belgian law.
Essentially, this means that you must be at least 18 years of age, no(t) (longer) be married or, as of 11/03/2023no(t) (longer) be in a cohabiting relationship (in case you want to get married to a person other then the one you have a cohabiting partnership with)and consent to the marriage. Moreover, marriage between certain persons of the same family is prohibited.
The laws of the territory of which your future spouse is a national will determine the basic conditions for the marriage applicable to him or her.
Formal conditions for marriage
The official formalities for solemnising the marriage are determined by the laws of the state where the wedding takes place.
Your marriage will only be valid in Belgium if both the basic conditions and the official formalities have been complied with.
Marriages
News
Population
In 2023, 46,564 marriages were registered in Belgium, i.e. a decrease of 4% compared to the previous year. While the northern and southern regions followed the national trend (-4.3% in Flanders and -4.4% in Wallonia), the Brussels-Capital Region was fairly balanced (+0.4%).
This brings us closer to the values observed before the pandemic, when we were fluctuating between 44,000 and 45,000 marriages a year in Belgium.
Diversity of marriages
While usual residence is a sine qua non for entering legal cohabitation, this is not the case for marriage. In fact, 12.3% of spouses do not live in the same region at the time of their union.
Logically, it is in Belgium that marriages most often take place (90.2% of unions). This means that in 9.8% of cases, the bride and groom - at least one of whom lives in Belgium - marry abroad.
The countries where most marriages take place, other than our state, are, in order: Morocco, Romania, Turkey, France and Poland.
At the time of their first marriage, partners are now 35.4 years elderly (1st spouse) and 33.2 years former (2nd spouse)[1].
An anniversary year for gay marriage in Belgium
Legal requirements for getting married
Belgian law lays down several requirements for getting married:
- a minimum age of 18
- mutual consent (not being forced to marry)
- not being related by family
- not married already (polygamy)
For more information, please consult:
Non-nationals
In Belgium, a marriage can seize place if one of the future spouses:
- is Belgian at the time of the marriage
- has been living in Belgium for more than three months (with proof)
For more information, please consult:
Sex of the spouses
Same-sex couples have been allowed to marry in Belgium since June 2003.
Forced marriages and marriages of convenience
A forced marriage is a marriage which is carried out without the free consent of both spouses, or when the agreement of at least one of the spouses has been given as a result of violence or threat.
A marriage of convenience is a marriage where at least one of the spouses intends to obtain a residence consent in Belgium.
Forced marriages and marriages of convenience are punishable offences.
For more knowledge, please consult: