Family
Equal marriage since 2013 and unión concubinaria since 2008
Ley 19.075 opened marriage to same-sex couples in 2013, following Ley 18.246 of 2008 which created the unión concubinaria, recognised judicially after five years of cohabitation regardless of the partners' sex. Divorce is available including by the wife's sole will under a long-standing provision, and Uruguay legalised abortion in 2012 and adoption by same-sex couples in 2009.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National substantive law applied by family courts
- Deadline — Unión concubinaria: judicial recognition after five years of cohabitation
- Deadline — Divorce by mutual consent: available after the statutory reflection period
Governing law
- Código Civil Uruguayo
- Ley 18.246 - Unión Concubinaria2008
- Ley 19.075 - Matrimonio Igualitario2013
In practice
Uruguay was an early regional mover on family-law equality, legislating same-sex marriage in 2013 through Parliament rather than by judicial decision, which contrasts with Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica where courts led. The Civil Code's provision permitting divorce on the sole will of the wife, dating to 1907, is a historically remarkable feature that predates comparable no-fault mechanisms elsewhere by decades.