Italy has recognised civil unions since 5 June 2016, providing same-sex couples with almost all of the legal protections, benefits and rights of marriage. A bill to this effect was approved by the Senate on 25 February 2016 and by the Chamber of Deputies on 11 May. It was signed into law by President Sergio Mattarella on 20 May, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale the next day and took effect on 5 June 2016. The law does not grant same-sex couples joint adoption rights or access to in vitro fertilisation. Before this, several regions had supported a national law on civil unions and some municipalities passed laws providing for civil unions, though the rights conferred by these unions varied from place to place.

Italy remains one of the last countries in Western Europe not to have legalized same-sex marriage. Polling suggests that a majority of Italians support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

Civil unions Background In 1986, the Inter-Parliamentary Women's Communist group () and Arcigay, Italy's largest LGBT rights organization, raised the issue of civil unions in the Italian Parliament for the first time. This was led by Ersilia Salvato in the Italian Senate and by Romano Bianchi and Angela Maria Bottari in the lower house who together attempted to introduce draft legislation. In 1988, following lobbying by Arcigay, lawyer and Socialist parliamentarian Alma Cappiello Agate introduced the first such bill to Parliament, calling for the acknowledgement of cohabitation between "persons". The bill failed, but Cappiello's proposal received wide coverage in the press. During the 1990s, a succession of civil union bills was regularly introduced and rejected in Parliament, bolstered by discussion in the European Parliament on equal rights for gays and lesbians. During the XIII Legislature from 1996 to 2001, at least ten bills were presented to Parliament, notably by Salvato, Nichi Vendola, Luigi Manconi, Graziano Cioni, and Luciana Sbarbati; however, none of them made it to a discussion on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate.

In September 2003, the European Parliament approved a new resolution on human rights against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Each member state had to confirm it would work to abolish any form of discrimination. During the XIV Legislature, proposals for civil unions with support from across party lines were submitted to Parliament. On 8 July 2002, Franco Grillini, an MP for the Democrats of the Left, submitted for the first time a bill to legalise same-sex marriage. However, the French civil solidarity pact (PACS) model was given particular resonance by the union of Alessio De Giorgi and Christian Pierre Panicucci on 21 October 2002 at the French embassy in Rome. On the same day, Grillini introduced a bill to the Chamber of Deputies to establish civil solidarity pacts in Italy. It ultimately failed, but was supported by 161 centre-left MPs. PACS remained a centrepiece in the public discourse on the rights of same-sex couples in Italy. This changed in 2005 when Spain's legalization of same-sex marriage received wide coverage in Italy and triggered extensive political discussions.

Failed attempts in 2006–2008 During the 2006 electoral campaign, Romano Prodi, leader of The Union, promised to introduce legislation recognising cohabiting same-sex couples if elected. Prodi's centre-left coalition subsequently won a majority of seats in Parliament and was able to form the Prodi II Government. In February 2007, the government introduced a draft bill to recognise domestic partnerships under the name "Rights and duties of stable cohabitants" (DiCo; ). The bill faced considerable opposition from the Catholic Church, and in the Senate from the majority of the right-wing opposition, but also from certain elements within Prodi's fractious coalition. Delays meant the bill could not reach the floor for a conclusive vote. A demonstration was held in Rome on 10 March 2007 in support of the legislation. Thousands of activists waved alarm clocks in the air, signalling it was "high time" for such a law. Some government officials, including Minister for Equal Opportunities Barbara Pollastrini and Minister for Social Solidarity Paolo Ferrero, took part in the demonstration and were later criticized by Prodi for their participation. Two days later, the Episcopal Conference of Italy (CEI) staged a counter-demonstration, also in Rome. Police sources claimed that about 800,000 people participated in the demonstration, including some Catholic government ministers such as Clemente Mastella and Giuseppe Fioroni. On 16 June, the annual Rome pride parade hit a record attendance of about 1,000,000 demonstrators. The parade had a strong political flavour, as LGBT associations meant it to be a response to the opposition demonstrations.

The DiCo bill was merged with other civil union proposals in late 2007 and the Senate's Judiciary Committee began discussing a new draft bill to establish "Contract for Social Unions" (). Nevertheless, in February 2008, an early election was called, thus dissolving Parliament. All pending legislation died in committee. Two Italian filmmakers, Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi, directed the award-winning documentary Suddenly, Last Winter () on the DiCo bill. (special mention of the Panorama Jury at the 58th Berlin International Filmfestival, best documentary Idemfestival Córdoba, best documentary Bozner Filmtage, best documentary TLVFest, Tel Aviv)

Developments in 2008–2015 There was no majority in Parliament in favour of the legal recognition of same-sex unions following the 2008 general election. Although the governing majority, The People of Freedom and Lega Nord, of the new government under Silvio Berlusconi, was elected without promising any improvement for the rights of same-sex couples, some party members, including Minister for Innovation and Public Administration Renato Brunetta, along with Socialist MPs Lucio Barani and Francesco De Lucia, acted independently and submitted civil union legislation to the Parliament in September 2008. The proposed private member's bill, which was called "Mutual rights and duties for cohabiting partners" (DiDoRe; ), was unsuccessful. If it had been adopted, it would have only been akin to unregistered cohabitation, as it did not provide for a public registry system. Following Berlusconi's resignation in 2011, a new government under Mario Monti was formed, but it also did not advance any legislation on same-sex relationships.

Local civil union registries

In July 2012, Mayor Giuliano Pisapia promised to introduce a formal registry for same-sex unions in Milan, which would be designed to afford some legal protections to cohabiting same-sex couples. However, these protections would not be equivalent to marriage rights. A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan responded by arguing there was a "risk that giving equal status to families based on marriage with those founded on civil unions will legitimise polygamy". The City Council of Milan approved the registry on 27 July 2012 in a 29–7 vote. The City Council of Rome approved a similar registry in January 2015 in a 32–10 vote. The registry came into effect on 21 May 2015. Twenty couples registered their unions at Rome City Hall that day.

In January 2013, a hospital in Padua began using new parent bracelets using the gender-neutral term "parent" rather than "mother" or "father". In August 2013, a Venice city councillor proposed to replace the terms "mother" and "father" in local documents with the terms "parent 1" and "parent 2". The project ignited a debate in which Minister of Integration Cécile Kyenge intervened and praised the bid. The motion was later not pursued. A similar motion was approved in Bologna, replacing the terms "mother" and "father" with "parent" and "other parent" in local school documents.

On 4 March 2015, the Sicilian Regional Assembly voted 50–5 in favour of creating a regional civil union registry allowing couples of any sex to access regional government benefits. The law was strongly supported by President Rosario Crocetta. By early 2016, more than 320 municipalities had introduced civil union registries providing same-sex couples with formal recognition and equal access to municipal services as other cohabiting or married opposite-sex couples, the first being Empoli in 1993. Due to the limited number of services managed at the local level in Italy, these registries mostly have a symbolic value and are not legally binding for third parties. Major cities offering civil union registries include Rome, Milan, Bologna, Padua, Florence, Pisa, Bolzano, Palermo, Naples, Genoa, Bari, Catania, Brescia and Turin.

Passage of legislation in 2016

In July 2012, the Democratic Party (PD) approved a party platform supporting the legal recognition of same-sex unions. The secular wing of the party tried to pass a motion in favour of same-sex marriage, but this did not gather enough support from party members. Beppe Grillo, leader of the Five Star Movement, criticised the decision and spoke out in favour of marriage for same-sex couples.

Following the 2013 Italian general election, the Letta Government was formed by members from the Democratic Party, The People of Freedom (PdL) and Civic Choice (SC). Only the Democratic Party and Left Ecology Freedom (SEL) had pledged their support for same-sex union recognition during the political campaign. On 14 May 2013, the Italian Parliament extended healthcare benefits to MPs' same-sex partners. This rule had already been in effect for heterosexual partners for several decades. The same month, an Italian judge registered a British civil partnership contracted by two Italian men. The registration occurred in Milan and the couple was registered in the local civil union registry approved in 2012. The Minister of Equal Opportunities, Sport and Youth Policies, Josefa Idem (PD), later announced she would introduce a parliamentary bill to recognise same-sex unions. In June, the Senate's Justice Committee began examining several bills concerning the recognition of same-sex couples. Three bills would have allowed same-sex couples to marry, while three other bills would allow cohabiting couples to register their partnerships.

On 15 December 2013, the newly-elected secretary of the Democratic Party, Matteo Renzi, announced that the party would work on the recognition of same-sex relationships. While campaigning during the party primary elections, Renzi referred to the German registered life partnerships as a model for legislation in Italy. German partnerships were only open to same-sex couples, and by 2013 their scope had expanded to be almost equivalent to marriage, except in name and full adoption rights. After Enrico Letta's resignation in February 2014, Renzi was appointed prime minister and formed a new government on 22 February 2014. Leading Italian politicians, including the mayors of Rome, Milan and Bologna, Ignazio Marino, Giuliano Pisapia and Virginio Merola, pressed for such legislation to be urgently passed.Agence France Presse, 7 June 2014, Rome’s Gay Pride Marchers Call On Government To Recognize Same-Sex Civil Unions In Autumn 2014, the government tabled a bill for debate in Parliament. The bill was reviewed by the Senate's Justice Committee but was delayed several times due to filibustering from the New Centre-Right. The bill would have guaranteed same-sex couples almost all of the rights and benefits reserved for marriage, including the ability to adopt a partner's child (i.e. stepchild adoption). It was supported by a large majority in Parliament: the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, some members of Forza Italia, and Left Ecology Freedom. Some MPs opposed stepchild adoption, while others called for same-sex marriage.