Your wedding, and the truth about where you can have it
Marriage law is not the same across the Mediterranean, and plenty of planners would rather not mention it. Here is exactly where you can marry, where you cannot, and what we would do in your position.
The short answer
Of the five countries we work in, Malta and Greece are the two where a same-sex couple can actually get legally married. The other three cannot marry you: Cyprus and Italy offer a civil partnership or civil union instead, and Spain — despite full marriage equality since 2005 — is closed to any couple who does not live there.
Cyprus is our flagship destination and the island our team lives on, so being straight with you about it costs us something. We would still rather lose the booking than have you discover it afterwards.
Country by country
Each of these traces to the actual statute, named so you can check us rather than take our word for it.
Malta
Legal marriage
Malta is the most straightforward place we work in for a same-sex wedding. Marriage has been open to same-sex couples since 1 September 2017, and Malta publishes its requirements for couples living abroad — there is no residency requirement, and the process is the same one an opposite-sex couple follows.
Paperwork is due at least six weeks before the date, and applications received later are rejected. Malta is a Commonwealth country, so a UK certificate of no impediment cannot be issued for a marriage there — the documents differ depending on which part of the UK you live in. We handle this with you.
Marriage Act and other Laws (Amendment) Act, Act XXIII of 2017, in force 1 September 2017
Greece
Legal marriage
Greece opened civil marriage to same-sex couples in February 2024, and the Council of State upheld the law in March 2026, so it is settled rather than contested. The Civil Code now reads that marriage is contracted between two people “of different or the same sex”.
Couples living abroad do not apply for a Greek marriage licence — your UK certificate of no impediment takes its place, and your register office needs 28 clear days’ notice to issue one. The catch is that Greek municipalities set their own document rules and some require the certificate to name their municipality as the place of marriage, while a UK certificate names only the country. We clear that wording with your municipality before you book.
Law 5089/2024, ΦΕΚ Α΄ 27, in force 16 February 2024; Council of State (Plenary) decision 392/2026, 20 March 2026
Cyprus
Civil partnership, not marriage
This is the one we most often have to be blunt about, because Cyprus is otherwise our flagship destination. Cypriot law still defines marriage as between a man and a woman. What Cyprus does offer same-sex couples is a civil partnership, available since December 2015 and open to couples who do not live on the island.
A Cyprus ceremony for a same-sex couple is a civil partnership. It is not a marriage, it will be recognised in the UK as a civil partnership, and it cannot later be converted into a marriage in England and Wales. If being married is what you want, Cyprus is not the right destination and we will say so.
Marriage Law 104(I)/2003; Civil Partnership Law 184(I)/2015, in force 9 December 2015
Italy
Civil union, not marriage
Italy has not legalised same-sex marriage. It has offered civil unions since June 2016, and unlike Italian marriage a civil union carries no residency requirement — two people living in the UK can constitute one before a registrar.
Most Italian villas sell same-sex couples a symbolic ceremony. A symbolic ceremony has no legal effect at all — no status, no rights, no recognised document. The only binding route is a civil union before a registrar, and individual comuni set their own appointment rules, so we confirm yours in advance.
Law 76/2016 (“Cirinnà”), in force 5 June 2016
Spain
Symbolic ceremony only
Spain has had full marriage equality since 2005, and this restriction has nothing to do with being a same-sex couple — it catches everyone. To marry in Spain, one of you must live there or hold Spanish nationality, because the marriage file goes to the authority for a partner’s Spanish home address. Two people living in the UK have no such authority.
A Spanish wedding sold to a UK couple is a symbolic ceremony, with the legal step done at home. That is a perfectly good way to do it — but anyone telling you a Spanish ceremony will legally marry you is wrong.
Ley 13/2005 (marriage equality); Ley 20/2011 del Registro Civil, art. 58.2 (residence); FCDO guidance
The one thing nobody tells you
A civil partnership formed abroad is recognised in the UK — but as a civil partnership, not a marriage. And a partnership formed outside England and Wales cannot be converted into a marriage here. Section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 only covers partnerships registered under England-and-Wales law.
So a couple who has a lovely day in Cyprus or Italy expecting to “upgrade it later” finds there is no upgrade. If what you want at the end of this is to be married, marry in Malta or Greece — or marry at home and let the day abroad be the celebration.
What we offer you
Not our whole catalogue — only the destinations, packages and venues our team has specifically checked and would place a same-sex couple with.
Can we legally get married in Cyprus as a same-sex couple?
No. Cypriot law defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Cyprus offers same-sex couples a civil partnership instead, available since December 2015 and open to couples who do not live on the island. We would rather tell you that now than have you find out after booking. If you want to be legally married abroad with us, Malta and Greece are the destinations to look at.
Where can we actually get legally married?
Of the places we work in, Malta and Greece. Malta has had marriage equality since September 2017 and publishes a clear process for couples living abroad, which makes it the most solidly evidenced option we offer. Greece opened marriage to same-sex couples in February 2024 and its highest administrative court upheld that in March 2026.
Will our marriage be recognised when we get home?
Yes. A same-sex marriage validly contracted abroad is recognised as a marriage across the UK — England and Wales under section 10 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, Scotland under the 2014 Act, and Northern Ireland under the 2019 Regulations in force from 13 January 2020. It is recognised as a marriage, not downgraded to a civil partnership.
What about a civil partnership done abroad — is that recognised too?
Yes, but as a civil partnership rather than a marriage, under sections 212 to 215 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004. The important catch: a civil partnership formed outside England and Wales cannot be converted into a marriage here. So if marriage is your end goal, a Cyprus or Italian partnership is a dead end, and you should marry in Malta or Greece instead.
What is the difference between a legal ceremony and a symbolic one?
A symbolic ceremony has no legal effect whatsoever — no change of status, no rights, no document that any authority recognises. It can still be the ceremony that matters to you, with your people around you, and many couples deliberately do the legal paperwork quietly at home and treat the day abroad as the real wedding. What matters is that you choose it knowingly rather than discover it afterwards.
Will we be treated properly by the venues and suppliers?
That is a fair thing to ask, and the honest answer is that it varies by supplier rather than by country. We only place couples with venues, registrars, photographers and celebrants our own team has dealt with directly. If we have any doubt about how you would be treated somewhere, we do not offer it to you.
How we work
We tell you the legal position for your destination before you pay anything, in writing.
We confirm the current requirements with the municipality or registrar handling your ceremony, for your date.
We only use venues, registrars, celebrants and photographers our own team has dealt with directly.
If we think a destination is wrong for you — legally or otherwise — we say so rather than sell it.
Flight-inclusive holidays sold through this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed — please ask us to confirm what protection applies to your booking. We are a member of ABTA, so you can book with confidence.
