Same-Sex Couples Can Now Marry in Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein's law has taken effect, making the country the 22nd in Europe to allow marriage equality.
Same-sex couples in Liechtenstein can finally marry after the country’s new law legalizing marriage equality took effect on January 1, 2025.
The law, which passed in May of 2024, with 24 of 25 members of Liechtenstein’s parliament in favor of it, was supported by the ruling parliamentary coalition, including the conservative-leaning Progressive Citizens’ Party and the center-left Patriotic Union.
At the time, Daniel Seger, the spokesperson for the Progressive Citizens’ Party, said lawmakers felt social pressure to pass the law. A 2017 online poll conducted by the Liechtensteiner Vaterland found that 69% of citizens supported permitting same-sex couples to marry.
Liechtenstein was the last German-speaking country in Europe to legalize same-sex marriage, with Germany, Austria, and Switzerland officially enacting the practice in 2017, 2019, and 2022, respectively.
In a Wednesday morning post on X, the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland’s capital city, congratulated Liechtenstein on the law’s enactment.
“This milestone is a testament to the dedication and advocacy of countless individuals who worked tirelessly for equality,” the post read.
Congratulations to 🇱🇮 on the enactment of same-sex marriage, effective as of today! This milestone is a testament to the dedication and advocacy of countless individuals who worked tirelessly for equality. Wishing everyone a joyful and inclusive start to the New Year! 🌈✨ pic.twitter.com/ZbG5Vd4tOf
— U.S. Embassy Bern (@USEmbassyBern) January 1, 2025
The U.K. Embassy in Bern also posted similar praise for the law, writing, “Everyone, everywhere should be free to love whom they love.”
The country of roughly 40,000 people first allowed same-sex couples to enter civil unions beginning in 2011, a move that granted them some, but not all, of the same rights as married heterosexual couples.
Under the new law, those who entered civil unions and registered them can now go through an administrative process to convert them into marriages. As reported by LGBTQ Nation, the country’s Office of Statistics, only 43 same-sex partnerships were registered between 2011 and 2022.
The law’s enactment makes Liechtenstein the 22nd country in Europe, out of 37, to legalize same-sex unions. The list of European countries that currently allow same-sex marriage are:
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
Additionally, nine European countries recognize some form of civil union for same-sex couples — although some, like Italy and Hungary, have recently sought to crack down on LGBTQ rights or visibility, including the ability of same-sex couples to adopt or raise children, such as limiting options for surrogacy.
The countries that recognize civil unions are:
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Italy
- Latvia
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- San Marino
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