Editing Civil union (section)

====France====
[[File:Mariages et pacs de 2008 à 2018.svg|thumb|PACS (blue) and marriage (red) in France ([[INSEE]])]]
{{Main|Civil solidarity pact}}
The [[France|French]] law providing benefits to same-sex couples also applies to opposite-sex couples who choose this form of partnership over marriage.  Known as the "Pacte civil de solidarité" (PACS), it is more easily dissolved than the divorce process applying to marriage.  Tax benefits accrue immediately (only from 2007 on{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}), while immigration benefits accrue only after the contract has been in effect for one year. The partners are required to have a common address, making it difficult for foreigners to use this law as a means to a residence permit, and difficult for French citizens to gain the right to live with a foreign partner{{Snd}}especially since the contract does not automatically give immigration rights, as marriage does.<ref>Circulaire n°2007-03 CIV du 5 février 2007</ref>

Between 2000 and 2010, the number of marriages decreased while the number of PACS strongly increased. In 2010, there were 3 PACS for every 4 marriages celebrated in France.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bilan démographique 2010|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?ref_id=ip1332|publisher=Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|date=January 2011}}</ref> Especially amongst heterosexual couples PACS is very popular, with 96 out of 100 PACS couples being heterosexual in the year 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Eine Ehe zum kleinen Preis|url=http://www.arte.tv/de/articles/eine-ehe-zum-kleinen-preis-1|access-date=2021-04-27|website=ARTE|language=de}}</ref>

[[File:Civil union map Central America and the Caribbean Islands.svg|thumb|300px|right|'''Countries performing civil unions in Central America and the Caribbean Islands'''
{{legend|#3F48CC|Gender-neutral civil unions.}}
{{legend|#77317F|Civil unions for opposite-sex couples only.}}
{{legend|#ddddddff|Civil unions never performed.}}
]]