Where Are Poly Marriages Legal?

Polygamy is illegal in all fifty states of the United States, except for a “common law marriage” that allows a husband and wife to live together and be considered married even if they are not legally married. In countries where only monogamous marriage is legally valid, de facto polygamy is typically allowed as long as adultery is not illegal. As of 2024, polygamy is fully legal in 47 countries, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cameroon, and Central African countries.

Polygyny is legal in 58 out of nearly 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of them being Muslim. The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act of 1862 and subsequent legislation aimed to regulate family structures and maintain societal norms. Polygyny was outlawed in federal territories by the Edmunds Act, and there are laws against the practice in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Because state laws exist, polygamy is not actively prosecuted at the federal level.

The legal status of polygamy varies widely around the world, with polygyny being legal in 58 out of nearly 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of them being Muslim-majority countries. Polyandry is possibly legal in Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Communication is the foundation of any successful relationship, and polyamorous relationships are no exception.

In some countries, polygyny is legal for up to four wives, but before marrying the first wife, the husband must get her permission. In some countries, polygyny is frequently legal and widespread. Polygyny and polyandry are legal in every state in the US, but polyandry is illegal within the Canadian context.

Is polygamy legal in Europe?

With the exception of the Solomon Islands, polygamous marriages are not recognized in Europe and Oceania. In India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, the governments recognize polygamous marriages, but only for Muslims. In Australia, polygamous marriage is outlawed, but polygamous relationships are common within some indigenous Australian communities. In Indonesia, polygamy is legal in some areas, such as in Bali, Papua, and West Papua. Balinese Hinduism allows for polygamy, which has been practiced for centuries by the Balinese and Papuans. Protests to outlaw polygamy and polygamous marriages occurred in 2008 in Indonesia but did not result in legislative changes.

In some African countries, polygamy is illegal under civil law but still allowed through customary law, in which acts that have traditionally been accepted by a particular culture are considered legally permissible. This arguably confusing loophole results in two types of marriages: civil marriages and customary or religious marriages, and enables countries such as Liberia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone to allow and even support polygamous marriages without officially recognizing them.

Another unusual loophole is that many Muslim countries will recognize polygamous marriages as long as the husband, before marrying his first wife, informs her that he intends to add additional future wives and she consents. If the first wife does not consent, the husband is not allowed to marry any additional wives as long as he is married to her.

Where is polyamorous marriage legal in the US?

Despite the shift in social and cultural acceptability of non-monogamy, marriage to multiple partners is currently illegal in all 50 states, and federal law still criminalizes marriage to more than one person.9 With the exception of Utah, polygamy is a third-degree felony punishable by both fines and imprisonment.10 Utah is the only state that has updated their polygamy laws in accordance with these social changes, reducing the charge from a third-degree felony to an “infraction” similar to the severity of a speeding ticket.11 While news media focus on the sensational or inflammatory instances of polyamory and polygamy, they frequently ignore the very real legal and social inequities that these individuals face.12.

There are several arenas in which polygamous families are disadvantaged through a marriage ban, including health insurance, healthcare, tax filing, property laws, inheritance and estate laws, and housing law.13 In the realm of healthcare and health insurance, only spouses who are legally married may visit their partners in the hospital and be on their partners health insurance plan.14.

Child custody is another issue of complication for polyamorous families. Currently, only six states allow children to have more than two legal parents.15 In states where children cannot have more than two legal parents, parents in polyamorous family units have a lot to lose. While courts have given parents ample discretion in determining who may associate with their children, courts may still remove children from polyamorous families under the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act (UMDA).16 While the UMDA prevents courts from “considering conduct of a proposed custodian that does not affect his relationship to the child,” courts may determine that the polyamorous lifestyle of a potential custodian can affect the “final determinations of ‘best interests.”17 For example, in the Divelbiss case, a child was removed from a polyamorous family home on these grounds despite experts testifying that the child “had not been negatively influenced by her mothers lifestyle”; the child was allowed to return to her parents only after the parents completed parenting programs and one adult of three living in the home moved out.18.

What countries allow polyamorous marriage?

Countries that recognize polygamous marriagesAlgeria.Cameroon.Chad.Central African Republic.Republic of the Congo.Djibouti.Egypt.Eswatini.

The legal status of polygamy varies widely around the world. Polygyny is legal in 58 out of nearly 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of them being Muslim-majority countries. Some countries that permit polygamy have restrictions, such as requiring the first wife to give her consent.

In countries that ban polygamy, the offence is commonly called bigamy, though the penalty varies between jurisdictions. In some countries where polygamy is illegal, the prohibition is not enforced.

Countries that recognize polygamous marriagesedit. Africaedit. Asiaedit. Oceaniaedit. Solomon Islands53;

Where can I have a polyamorous marriage?

Is a polyamorous wedding legal?. In short, no. Most places in the world do not permit a legally recognized marriage union between more than two people (often a man and a woman). There are some places in the world where a man can marry more than one woman, but a woman cant have multiple spouses. In countries where any type of polyamorous structure is legal, theyll be in Africa or Asia. In the United States, polyamorous marriages are not legal. In Utah, the criminal punishment for polygamy has been reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, and in Massachusetts multi-person domestic partnerships are recognized in Somerville, Cambridge, and Arlington.

How do polyamorous weddings work?. Because polyamorous marriage is not legal, the majority of polyamorous weddings are commitment ceremonies with no legal backing. Unlike legal marriage or civil unions, these ceremonies do not provide any special rights or privileges for its members. Instead, these are ceremonies for members of a polycule to formalize their relationship and take “the next step” in a way that expresses who they are.

In some polycules, there is a couple who is legally married and then one or both of them may choose to have a commitment ceremony with another partner, whether its different partners for each of them or the same partner for both of them. No matter what your relationship structure is, theres a way to recognize it and the different relationship dynamics going on during your commitment ceremony.

Is polyamory legal in China?

• 3.3. Asia. Nepal
• China: Polygamy is illegal under Marriage Law passed in 1980, which replaced a similar 1950 prohibition.95 In Hong Kong, polygamy ended with the passing of the Marriage Act of 1971.
• Israel: Polygamy has been banned for all confessional communities since at least 1959.96
• Japan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Mongolia
• Myanmar97
• North Korea98
• South Korea
• Taiwan: Polygamy is illegal by the 1930 ROC civil law.99
• Tajikistan
• Turkey: Polygamy was criminalized in 1926 with the adoption of the Turkish Civil Code, part of Atatürks secularist reforms. Penalties for polygamy are imprisonment of up to 5 years.100 Turkey has long been known for its promotion of secularism,101102103 and has introduced measures establishing stricter bars against polygamy
• these were passed by the ruling moderate Islamist AK Parti as well. In March 2009, AK Parti effectively banned polygamists from entering or living in the country.104
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan
• Vietnam

• Illegal de jure but still practiced. Cambodia106
• Israel: polygamy was criminalized in 1977, but the law is not consistently enforced and polygamy is still practiced by Israeli Bedouins.107
• Kazakhstan108
• Laos
• Russia:109110 Factual polygamy and sexual relationships with several adult partners are not punishable in accordance with current revisions of Criminal Code of Russia and Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses. But multiple marriage cant be registered and officially recognised by Russian authorities because Family Code of Russia (section 14 and others) prohibits registration of marriage if one of the persons is in another registered marriage in Russia or another country. Polygamy is tolerated in predominantly Muslim republics such as Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan.111
• Thailand112
• Timor-Leste113

3.4. Europe. Albania; Andorra; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria: Illegal and punishable with up to three years imprisonment.114; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland: The official prosecutor is obliged to take all cases to a court where more two persons are married to each other and such relationships cease to exist after the court has decided it.115 Polygamic marriages performed abroad may be recognized only in narrow occasions, for instance in child custody matters.116; France: Civil marriage registry illegal.; Georgia; Germany: Illegal, legally punishable with fine or prison time up to three years.117 Polygamous marriages contracted abroad are legal, however the German authorities announced plans to close this legal loophole.118; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland:119 The Catholic Church in Ireland allowed someone with a church annulment but no civil annulment to remarry in church; such a marriage was legally null and bigamous but no prosecutions were brought.120121 The practice ended after the 1996 legalisation of divorce.120 In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that if someone had two legal marriages abroad, only the first was legal in Ireland, though that did not necessarily mean the second marriage can never have legal consequences in Ireland.122; Italy; Kosovo; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia; Malta; Moldova; Monaco; Montenegro; Netherlands: Marriage between more than two individuals prohibited; however, a samenlevingscontract may include more than two partners. It legally accepts immigrants who are in such a union from a country where it is legal; e.g. if a man with two wives immigrates to The Netherlands, all three will be legally recognized.123; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania: Bigamy, defined as marriage conducted by a person which is already married, is punishable by up to 2 years in prison or fine. Knowingly marrying a married person is punishable by up to 1 year in prison or by fine.124; Russian Federation; San Marino; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden: Sweden recognizes polygamous marriages performed abroad. All spouses are registered as spouses in the population register. Other spouses may not always be recognized. Only the first spouse is recognized when decisions are made on residence permits and social security. A Swede may have four spouses registered. Switzerland: Polygamy is illegal. But polygamous marriages from other countries are accepted or rejected on a case-by-case basis. Ukraine United Kingdom Some welfare benefits are available for foreign polygamous marriages, but this is being phased out. Polygamy is treated as bigamy if a second marriage is contracted in the UK. Spouses of subsequent marriages are not legally recognized even when they are contracted abroad. Vatican City (Holy See)

Who is the Brazilian guy with 6 wives?

Arthur O Urso is currently “married” to lucky ladies Luana Kazaki, 27; Emelly Souza, 21; Valquíria Santos, 24; Olinda Maria, 51; Damiana, 23; and Amanda Albuquerque, 28.

Since he doesnt want to disappoint any of them, theyre all opting for surrogacy in order to grow their family.

“I dont want to make any of my six wives upset by choosing which one gets pregnant first, so weve opted for surrogacy,” Urso told NudePR.com.

In order to kick-start the process, Urso is aiming to use his first wife Luanas egg for the first implantation.

Is polyamory legal in Japan?

Same-sex marriages are not recognized or protected under the laws of Japan. It is legal for a person to be a homosexual and engage in same-sex sexual activities in Japan; however, such a person is not allowed to enter into a relationship with another person of the same sex. Polygamy is strictly prohibited in Japan. A marriage can only be contracted between a man and a woman. This implies that if a person is still in a marriage, they are not allowed to enter a new relationship unless the previous one is legally terminated. There are no exceptions to this rule in this country.

Compared to some other countries in Asia and the rest of the world in general, the marriage laws in Japan are simple and not overly strict. Eligibility for marriage is determined by a number of factors, such as the legal minimum age for marriage, which is 18 years for males and 16 years for females. Parental consent is not required if both parties are 20 years of age or older; otherwise, permission must be obtained before marriage can be contracted. Only a civil registration determines the legality of marriage in Japan; once the marriage is registered at a municipal government office in Japan, a ceremony is not mandatory.

While couples might decide to hold religious or customary ceremonies, they do not possess any legal value. Foreigners must have permission to marry from their home country before they can marry in Japan; those who are barred from marrying in their home country cannot marry in Japan. If one of the couples is a foreigner, he or she must submit an affidavit among other documents attesting to the foreigners ability to contract marriage. Couples may not marry if they have any affinal relationships, which includes siblings, step-siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents. Voluntary consent, void of any interference or coercion, must be obtained from the couple. They must understand the concept of marriage before consenting to it.

Is a 3 way marriage legal in the US?

Are Throuple Marriages Legal in New York?. Polygamy (marrying more than one person) is currently illegal in all 50 states. While some states, including New York, have begun offering protections for polyamorous relationships, more than two people cannot yet enter a legal marriage.

Still, you and your partners can officiate and solidify your relationship in a non-legally binding commitment ceremony and you can enter into a 3-person contract, such as a Cohabitation Agreement, related to your living arrangements, sharing of finances and other aspects of your relationship.

What Rights Do You Have in a Throuple Marriage?. Because throuple marriages are not yet legal anywhere in the United States, if youre involved in a throuple relationship in New York state, you and your partners need to understand what legal protections you have.

What celebrity is polyamorous?

Its clear that more and more people are rejecting social conventions around love and relationships and embodying a more fluid approach to dating – and that includes openly polyamorous celebs like Willow Smith and Bella Thorne, as well as rumoured polyamorous celebs like Rita Ora, Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson.

Probably the most famous drag queen in the world and brain behind the runaway (or should that be runway?) success that is RuPauls Drag Race, RuPaul has recently revealed that he and his husband are in an open relationship.

In an interview with the New Yorker, Mama Ru said It’s just realistic. There’s no such thing as monogamy with men.”

Erm, were not sure we agree with that — especially given how many women are on this list.

Is polyamory common in Brazil?

While Brazil is a heavily Catholic country with a growing Evangelical Christian population, polyamory is actually not uncommon in popular culture there, with poly relationships showcased on two popular telenovelas and a reality TV series right now. And in 2012, a man and two women became the first Brazilians to pledge their love in a three-way civil-union ceremony.

A 2003 law in Brazil led to legal recognition of same-sex unions, and later marriages. In 2011, Brazils Supreme Federal Court sanctioned same-sex marriages by pronouncing that all current marriage laws must apply equally to opposite- and same-sex couples. And in 2013, the Justice National Council passed a resolution saying that notary publics, who proceed over marriage proceedings in Brazil, cannot refuse to perform marriages for same-sex couples.

Leitao asserts that all the principles and fundamentals of the 2011 ruling can also be applied to polyamorous relationships. If his clients seek privileges like the ability to declare joint income for tax purposes or join a healthcare plan together as spouses, he told AFP, they could obtain them—and I think they will.

Where is polyamory accepted?

Do people in polyamorous relationships have legal rights? Not many. Some US states have recognized families with multiple parents. The Uniform Parentage Act allows for more than two parents to be legally recognized. In June 2020, Somerville allowed more than two domestic partnerships. Residents could legally recognize more than one committed relationship. The Supreme Court of Newfoundland recently recognized the parental responsibilities of a polyamorous, three-parent family. How common is consensual non-monogamy? About 20% of Americans have been in a CNM relationship at some point. About 4-5% of people are currently in CNM relationships. This is about the same size as the lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities combined (Haupert, Gesselman, Moors, Fisher, & Garcia, 2017; Rubin, Moors, Matsick, Ziegler, Conley, 2014). How are polyamorous people discriminated against? In the past, non-traditional relationships and families were illegal. Some family structures have improved, but negative assumptions still exist. Many judges say that people in CNM are less moral, less stable, and less capable of caring for children than monogamous people (e.g., V.B. v. J.E.B., 2012; Cross v. Cross, 2008). Some family courts have misunderstood polyamorous relationships. They think long-term committed plural relationships are like “wife-swapping” or casual sex-only swinging. (Cross v. Cross, 2008; In re Aleksandree M.M., 2010). People who don’t know about polyamory treat these families badly.