Same-sex marriage in Nepal

Same-sex marriage has been provisionally recognised in Nepal since 24 April 2024, though same-sex couples are unable to access the legal rights and benefits of marriage. On 28 June 2023, Supreme Court Justice Til Prasad Shrestha issued an interim order directing the government to establish a "separate register" for "sexual minorities and non-traditional couples" and to "temporarily register them" pending a final verdict by the full Supreme Court bench. Despite the directive, the Kathmandu District Court denied a same-sex couple's application to marry on 13 July 2023. The couple appealed to the Patan High Court, which also rejected the application on 6 October. However, the couple was issued a "temporary" marriage license in their home Lamjung District on 29 November 2023. On 24 April 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a circular instructing local registration authorities to "temporarily" enter same-sex marriages into a separate record. However, the Ministry confirmed in May 2025 that these "temporary" certificates do not grant same-sex couples the legal protections and benefits of marriage. Local offices still use gendered forms on marriage certificates, forcing same-sex couples to choose "bride" and "groom" roles. The process is also longer and more expensive than for opposite-sex couples, often requiring lawyer representation. As of 2026, thirty-five marriages have been documented by local LGBT rights organizations, with nine confirmed by local media reports. The Federal Parliament has not passed supporting legislation, and the Supreme Court has yet to deliver a final verdict on the case.

The National Code of Nepal, enacted in 2018, explicitly defines marriage as "when a man and a woman accept each other as husband and wife". Citing this code, some district courts and local government offices are refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples. Although the Constitution of Nepal, approved in September 2015, includes "gender and sexual minorities" as a protected category, it does not specifically address same-sex marriages.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.