Jersey to introduce same-sex marriage from 1 July

Same-sex couples will be able to marry in Jersey from Sunday.

The new law, which also allows couples to marry in the open air, comes into force on 1 July.

The law has been in the works since 2015 but faced delays while the legislation was reviewed and religious groups invited to share their concerns and views.

There are about 12 couples, who would not have been able to marry before the law change, getting wed in July.

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There was an attempt to introduce a "conscience clause" that would allow companies to refuse to work with same-sex couples on their wedding but that was rejected by politicians.

Immigration checks

The law will also see the notice period couples have to give before getting married increased from 15 to 25 days.

This was because more couples from outside Jersey were expected to come to the island to get married, a spokeswoman for the superintendant registrar said.

She said the extra time was needed to allow for immigration checks and to verify it was not a sham or fake marriage.