Kaohsiung registers 1st cross-strait same-sex marriage in Taiwan

Kaohsiung, Oct. 8 (CNA) Kaohsiung has finalized the registration of a cross-Taiwan Strait same-sex couple, marking the first case of its kind in Taiwan and bringing the country one step closer to full marriage equality, the city government said Tuesday.

The gay couple, who got married five years ago in the United States, completed the necessary procedures to register their marriage on Monday, the city's Civil Affairs Bureau said in a statement.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which handles relations with China, relaxed related regulations last month to allow Taiwanese-Chinese same-sex couples married in a third country to register their marriage under the same rules allowing heterosexual couples to do so.

According to the MAC, same-sex applicants must submit a third-country marriage certificate notarized by a Taiwan overseas representative office and be interviewed by the National Immigration Agency before registering their marriage at a local household registration office.

Regarding the definition of a third country, the authorities said it refers to some 35 countries that recognize same-sex marriages, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Meanwhile, the current rule for Taiwanese-Chinese heterosexual spouses to legalize their marriage in Taiwan requires them to marry in China or a third country before following the same procedures.