Countries & States that Allow Same Sex Marriages

To obtain a U.S. immigration benefit based on a marriage involving a same-sex couple, the marriage must be valid under State Law.  This determination is governed by the law of the place of celebration of the marriage.

The United States has regional freedom to marry.  Thus far, CA, CT, DE, HI, IA, IL, MA, ME, MD, MN, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT, WA, and Washington, D.C. have passed their own freedom to marry laws.  In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, a law passed by President Bill Clinton in 1996 to prohibit the federal government from respecting legal marriages between same-sex couples.

The following jurisdiction currently allow same-sex marriages:

Argentina, Denmark, Brazil, France, Iceland, Uruguay, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal

Britain (England and Wales) is expected to allow same sex marriage by spring of 2014.