For the daily
Photo: Mariana Grief
The Minister of Education and Culture, María Julia Muñoz, participated in the opening of the annual congress of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Business. There, she stated that her ministry "is studying" with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the possibility of facilitating access to marriage for same-sex couples who do not reside in Uruguay.
The idea, he explained, is that "the address that couples wishing to marry must establish can be processed through consulates." Regarding when this change could be made, he added: "We think it can be resolved this year." Yesterday, in a meeting with representatives of all parties, the president of the LGBT Chamber, Adrián Russo, suggested enabling same-sex marriage for foreigners to promote wedding tourism .
Recognition depends on the country of origin
To get married in Uruguay, it is not necessary to be Uruguayan or have documentation in the country. All that's required is for each spouse to establish a domicile in Uruguay, which can be the same for both. Thus, the possibility of establishing a consulate as a domicile would solve this problem for those who want to get married, especially for same-sex couples whose legal rights are not recognized in other countries.
Muñoz clarified that marriages entered into in Uruguay "will not necessarily" be recognized in the foreigners' country of origin, as this will depend on whether the provision is included in national legislation.
BBC survey conducted in July 2017, same-sex marriage is recognized in only 23 countries, while 11 others allow only civil unions.
- Latin America and the Caribbean (4): Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay and Brazil.
- Europe (14): Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, France, United Kingdom, Iceland, Luxembourg, Finland and Germany.
- North America (3): United States, Canada and Mexico (in some states).
- Africa (1): South Africa.
- Oceania (1): New Zealand.
