Question for gay/lesbian posters who live in a gay marriage country

[Tender Branson]

... and - if it's the case - are in a gay marriage or have been in a civil union before that:

What happens or happened to a civil union in your country when the country legalized gay marriage ? How was the civil union "converted" to marriage ? Were there any fees ? Did authorities ask you if you wanted to be "upgraded" to marriage status rather than keeping the partnership status ? Were they converted automatically to marriage status ?

Would be interesting to know ...

[DavidB.]

Civil unions were introduced in the Netherlands in 1998 and same-sex marriage in 2001. A registered partnership could easily be converted into marriage (and the other way around, but this is not possible anymore since 2009) for a small fee, but it didn't happen automatically and I don't think people received a letter. Civil unions still exist, for straight people too, even though they are pretty useless now.

[Tender Branson]

Civil unions were introduced in the Netherlands in 1998 and same-sex marriage in 2001. A registered partnership could easily be converted into marriage (and the other way around, but this is not possible anymore since 2009) for a small fee, but it didn't happen automatically and I don't think people received a letter. Civil unions still exist, for straight people too, even though they are pretty useless now.

Interesting ...

I think it's pretty stupid that you probably have to pay a fee here for converting the civil union of a couple to marriage status, just because the state was not willing to introduce gay marriage in the first place.

[afleitch]

I had a civil partnership in 2012. I upgraded it to a marriage through a form in 2015. We turned up in person to the city chambers. No fee, no red tape.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

It's OK to come out, Tender