Civil unions in Hungary

Unregistered cohabitation was granted in 1996 in Hungary.

The law applies to couples living together in an economic and sexual relationship (common-law marriage) including same-sex couples. No official registration required. The law gives some specified rights and benefits to two persons living together. These rights and benefits are not automatically given - they must be applied for to the social department of the local government in each case. Amendment to the Civil Code: “Partners – if not stipulated otherwise by law – are two people living in an emotional and economic community in the same household without being married.” Inheritance, widow's pension and immigrants rights are possible. Partners can take each others surname.

The Hungarian government considers extending the rights of people living in unregistered cohabitation and making facultative registration of cohabitation possible starting from 2007 with the introduction of the new Civil Code. The registration will be also possible for opposite-sex partners. Same-sex marriage is also considered.

A bill has been introduced to Parliament by the junior coalition partner to make the registration of cohabitation possible even before the adoption of the new Civil Code. The proposal would give extended rights connected to inheritance and housing to couples who register.

In July 2007, moves have been made towards the introduction of same-sex civil partnerships offering the same rights as marriage. Such a system has been proposed by the Alliance of Free Democrats (the junior ruling coalition partner) and is supported by the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party. The largest opposition party, Fidesz, has not made any public statement yet on whether they would support civil partnerships. If Hungary passes such a law, it would be only the third former Communist country to have registered civil unions, after the Czech Republic and Slovenia, and the first country in the region to provide all of the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples.^[1]

See also

• LGBT rights in Hungary
• LGBT rights by country
• Timeline of LGBT history
• Homosexuality laws of the world
• Marriage, unions and partnerships by country

Notes

External links

• (English) Detailed description of cohabition on the website of the government
• (Hungarian) Constitutional Court decision opening up unregistered cohabitation to same sex couples
• (Hungarian) Bill on registered partnership introduced in Parliament

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