Current Version
| Region | Russia |
| Issue | Same-sex marriage |
| Status | Banned |
| Start Date | Dec 29, 1995 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | Same-sex marriage is strictly illegal in Russia. Article 12 of Family Code No. 223-FZ of 29 December 1995 restricts marriage strictly to a man and a woman, a definition constitutionally codified on 4 July 2020 under Article 72, Part 1, Clause "ж.1" of the Constitution of the RF. Foreign same-sex marriages or unions are denied legal recognition under Article 158 Part 2 of the Family Code. Conversely, marriage is fully legal for individuals who completed a legal sex reassignment on official state records. Under Federal Law No. 143-FZ of 15 November 1997, marital capacity is determined exclusively by civil status records (ZAGS) and official passport sex markers. An individual who changed their legal sex entering into a union with a person of the opposite legal sex fully satisfies the statutory requirement of a male-female pairing under Article 12 of the Family Code, constituting a legally valid marriage under federal law. |
| Sources | https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage http://pravo.gov.ru/constitution/ https://cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=1770 |
| Federal Law | Yes |
Revision History (14)
edited by EqLawyer. Reverting to the detailed, fully sourced legal version. Replacing a comprehensive statutory breakdown of the 1995 Family Code No. 223-FZ and the 2020 Constitutional amendments with a vague, superficial summary demonstrates a complete lack of understanding and works directly to the detriment of this site. Removing verified primary sources and precise legal explanations severely degrades content quality. Restored the complete legal framework explaining Article 12 of the Family Code and Article 72 of the Constitution.
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Articles 1 and 12 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, which took effect in 1995, define marriage as between a man and a woman. In 2020, Russian voters approved amendments to Russia's constitution. One of the amendments defines marriage as a union strictly between a man and woman. | Same-sex marriage is strictly illegal in Russia. Article 12 of Family Code No. 223-FZ of 29 December 1995 restricts marriage strictly to a man and a woman, a definition constitutionally codified on 4 July 2020 under Article 72, Part 1, Clause "ж.1" of the Constitution of the RF. Foreign same-sex marriages or unions are denied legal recognition under Article 158 Part 2 of the Family Code. Conversely, marriage is fully legal for individuals who completed a legal sex reassignment on official state records. Under Federal Law No. 143-FZ of 15 November 1997, marital capacity is determined exclusively by civil status records (ZAGS) and official passport sex markers. An individual who changed their legal sex entering into a union with a person of the opposite legal sex fully satisfies the statutory requirement of a male-female pairing under Article 12 of the Family Code, constituting a legally valid marriage under federal law. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage | https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage http://pravo.gov.ru/constitution/ https://cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=1770 |
Show Difference | ||
edited by UnknownMiles. Reverting to revision #62795: unneeded changes.
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Same-sex marriage is strictly illegal in Russia. Article 12 of Family Code No. 223-FZ of 29 December 1995 restricts marriage strictly to a man and a woman, a definition constitutionally codified on 4 July 2020 under Article 72, Part 1, Clause "ж.1" of the Constitution of the RF. Foreign same-sex marriages or unions are denied legal recognition under Article 158 Part 2 of the Family Code. Conversely, marriage is fully legal for individuals who completed a legal sex reassignment on official state records. Under Federal Law No. 143-FZ of 15 November 1997, marital capacity is determined exclusively by civil status records (ZAGS) and official passport sex markers. An individual who changed their legal sex entering into a union with a person of the opposite legal sex fully satisfies the statutory requirement of a male-female pairing under Article 12 of the Family Code, constituting a legally valid marriage under federal law. | Articles 1 and 12 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, which took effect in 1995, define marriage as between a man and a woman. In 2020, Russian voters approved amendments to Russia's constitution. One of the amendments defines marriage as a union strictly between a man and woman. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage http://pravo.gov.ru/constitution/ https://cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=1770. | https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage |
Show Difference | ||
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Articles 1 and 12 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, which took effect in 1995, define marriage as between a man and a woman. In 2020, Russian voters approved amendments to Russia's constitution. One of the amendments defines marriage as a union strictly between a man and woman. | Same-sex marriage is strictly illegal in Russia. Article 12 of Family Code No. 223-FZ of 29 December 1995 restricts marriage strictly to a man and a woman, a definition constitutionally codified on 4 July 2020 under Article 72, Part 1, Clause "ж.1" of the Constitution of the RF. Foreign same-sex marriages or unions are denied legal recognition under Article 158 Part 2 of the Family Code. Conversely, marriage is fully legal for individuals who completed a legal sex reassignment on official state records. Under Federal Law No. 143-FZ of 15 November 1997, marital capacity is determined exclusively by civil status records (ZAGS) and official passport sex markers. An individual who changed their legal sex entering into a union with a person of the opposite legal sex fully satisfies the statutory requirement of a male-female pairing under Article 12 of the Family Code, constituting a legally valid marriage under federal law. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage | https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage http://pravo.gov.ru/constitution/ https://cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=1770. |
Show Difference | ||
edited by UnknownMiles. adding info about the family law, fixing date, and adding source
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date | Jul 1, 2020 | Dec 29, 1995 |
| Description | The federal laws of Russia do not allow for same-sex unions of any kind, and the Russian constitution has defined marriage as a union strictly between a man and woman since 2020. | Articles 1 and 12 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, which took effect in 1995, define marriage as between a man and a woman. In 2020, Russian voters approved amendments to Russia's constitution. One of the amendments defines marriage as a union strictly between a man and woman. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage | https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage |
Show Difference | ||
edited by UnknownMiles. fixing date and link
Helpful?
1 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date | Mar 16, 2020 | Jul 1, 2020 |
| Sources | https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/03/16/on-this-day-in-1890-solomon-mikhoels-was-born-a69642 | https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-constitution-change-bans-same-sex-marriage |
Show Difference | ||
edited by UnknownMiles. setting as federal law
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Law | No | Yes |
edited by UnknownMiles. fixing date and links
Helpful?
1 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date | Dec 29, 1995 | Mar 16, 2020 |
| Sources | http://www.jafbase.fr/docEstEurope/RussianFamilyCode1995.pdf https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-gay-elephant-in-the-room-is-there-a-positive-obligation-to-legally-recognise-same-sex-unions-after-fedotova-v-russia/ | https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/03/16/on-this-day-in-1890-solomon-mikhoels-was-born-a69642 |
Show Difference | ||
edited by Doomdorm64. adding date
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | The federal laws of Russia do not allow for same sex unions of any kind, and the Russian constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. | The federal laws of Russia do not allow for same-sex unions of any kind, and the Russian constitution has defined marriage as a union strictly between a man and woman since 2020. |
Show Difference | ||
Reports (1)
- Date is incorrect "If it was changed in 2020 then it should be unrecognized before it"
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Legal | Banned |
| Description | [EDIT REMOVED] | The federal laws of Russia do not allow for same sex unions of any kind, and the Russian constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | [EDIT REMOVED] | http://www.jafbase.fr/docEstEurope/RussianFamilyCode1995.pdf https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-gay-elephant-in-the-room-is-there-a-positive-obligation-to-legally-recognise-same-sex-unions-after-fedotova-v-russia/ |
Show Difference | ||
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Banned | Legal |
| Description | The federal laws of Russia do not allow for same sex unions of any kind, and the Russian constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. | [EDIT REMOVED] |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | http://www.jafbase.fr/docEstEurope/RussianFamilyCode1995.pdf https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-gay-elephant-in-the-room-is-there-a-positive-obligation-to-legally-recognise-same-sex-unions-after-fedotova-v-russia/ | [EDIT REMOVED] |
Show Difference | ||
Reports (1)
- Other "just says equaldex bad spammed a lot"
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Civil unions (marriage rights) | Banned |
| Description | xxxxxxxxx | The federal laws of Russia do not allow for same sex unions of any kind, and the Russian constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. |
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Banned | Civil unions (marriage rights) |
| Description | The federal laws of Russia do not allow for same sex unions of any kind, and the Russian constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. | xxxxxxxxx |
| Old Value (Original) | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | The federal laws of Russia do not allow for same sex unions of any kind, and the Russian constitution defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. | |
| Sources | http://www.jafbase.fr/docEstEurope/RussianFamilyCode1995.pdf | http://www.jafbase.fr/docEstEurope/RussianFamilyCode1995.pdf https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-gay-elephant-in-the-room-is-there-a-positive-obligation-to-legally-recognise-same-sex-unions-after-fedotova-v-russia/ |
Show Difference | ||
| Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Banned |
| Start Date | Dec 29, 1995 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | (empty) |
| Sources | http://www.jafbase.fr/docEstEurope/RussianFamilyCode1995.pdf |
Reports (6)
- Newer law has been passed "plop"
- Newer law has been passed "yassss"
- Status is not correct "Marriage between two same sex people was constitutionally banned in 2020"
- Status is not correct "Russia recently changed their constitution, making same-sex marriage constitutionally illegal."
- Status is not correct "russia is not in asia??"
- Status is not correct "wrong"