Gay couples can now marry at 23 British consulates worldwide
Same-sex couples will now be able to marry at British consulates in 23 countries.
The ‘Consular Marriage and Marriages under Foreign Law Order 2014’ came into force on Tuesday.
The UK Government said the list of countries is limited because British missions are only able to provide a same-sex marriage service in countries where it is not possible for British nationals to have such a marriage under local law.
It also requires that local authorities give permission for the missions to conduct consular marriages of same-sex couples.
The countries on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s list include: Australia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, and Vietnam.
Same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales on 23 March.
The Scottish Government has said same-sex couples will be able to marry in Scotland before the end of 2014.
Scotland passed its own equal marriage law earlier this year.
