# Civil Union



## Rocketlenz (Sep 9, 2014)

Hello! I was wondering if anyone has any information about the rights the Italian Civil Union act provides gay couples with. 
I'm married to an Italian citizen (married in Argentina, living in London) and was wondering if Italy now recognises our union. 
Will I be recognised for immigration purposes the same as a straight couple? Can I get citizenship after 3 years of marriage? 
I've been looking for the law online and haven't been able to find it. 

Grazie Mille


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## Arturo.c (Aug 15, 2010)

The law is fairly new, and came into force only two days ago. It's still being enacted and there are some decrees currently being worked out by the government to harmonize the new rules with the current laws and regulations on the registration of births, marriages and deaths and inheritance.

The full text of the Law 20 May 2016 no. 76 is already available on line, but it's still unclear how it will be applied.

Your spouse should get a marriage extract legalized and translated into Italian by a translator known by the Italian consular authority in Argentina, and try to get it registered in the records of his hometown. That would make you eligible for moving to Italy with him, under the European directive 38/2004/EC on free movement of people within the EU.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

....But wait for the consulate to provide the new marriage/civil union registration form. As Arturo says, the various organs of government, including the consulates, are right now (as I write this) getting geared up to support the new law. Even if they get the forms ready and start accepting registrations sometime in December, 2016, they're still in compliance with the law.


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