Law Reference
Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014
Short answer
The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 extended marriage to same-sex couples in Scotland and made related changes to civil partnership and marriage law.
- Status
- reviewed
- Reviewed
- 26 May 2026
- Sources
- 7
- High trust
- 7
Overview
The Act was Scotland's separate marriage equality statute. It followed the England and Wales legislation but operated through the Scottish Parliament and Scottish marriage law, helping complete the staged path toward marriage equality across Great Britain before Northern Ireland followed later.
Key Dates
- enacted
- 12 March 2014
Same-sex marriage in Scotland
The Act amended Scottish marriage law so that eligible same-sex couples could marry in Scotland, with related changes to interpretation, registration and the legal treatment of those marriages.
Religious and belief context
The Act also made provision around who may solemnise marriages and the registration of civil partnerships by religious or belief bodies, reflecting Scotland's separate marriage-law framework.
Related Timeline Events
Equal Marriage Legalised Across the UK
Marriage equality arrived across the UK through staged legal reform. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 received Royal Assent for England and Wales, Scotland legislated through the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014, and Northern Ireland followed through 2019 regulations that took effect in January 2020.
Same-Sex Marriage Takes Effect in Great Britain
The first same-sex marriages in England and Wales took place on 29 March 2014 under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. Scotland's separate Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 then brought same-sex marriage into Scottish law later that year.
