Hong Kong plans to register overseas same-sex marriages to grant limited legal rights.
Recognised rights will mainly cover healthcare and end-of-life decisions.
The legislation responds to a court ruling mandating an alternative recognition framework.
The Hong Kong government announced on Wednesday that it will introduce legislation to grant certain legal rights to same-sex couples whose marriages were registered abroad. The move is aimed at complying with a 2023 court ruling that instructed authorities to establish an “alternative framework” for recognising same-sex relationships within two years.
According to a policy document, the proposed law will create a registration system allowing eligible couples to have their partnerships officially recognised. However, the scope of rights will be restricted mainly to healthcare matters—such as hospital visitations, consent for medical decisions, access to medical records, and organ donation—as well as rights concerning end-of-life arrangements.
Hong Kong’s top court last year upheld that marriage remains legally defined as a union between a man and a woman but directed the government to devise a mechanism to acknowledge same-sex couples in certain respects. Only couples legally married overseas will be able to apply for registration under the new scheme.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)