{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legitimacy-act-1976/section-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legitimacy-act-1976/section-3.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1976/31",
  "legislation_title": "Legitimacy Act 1976",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legitimacy-act-1976",
  "path": "section/3",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Legitimation by extraneous law.",
  "text": "(1) Subject to the following provisions of this Act, where the mother and father of an illegitimate person marry or become civil partners of one another and the father of the illegitimate person is not at the time of the marriage or civil partnership domiciled in England and Wales but is domiciled in a country by the law of which the illegitimate person became legitimated by virtue of such subsequent marriage or civil partnership, that person, if living, shall in England and Wales be recognised as having been so legitimated from the date of the marriage or civil partnership notwithstanding that, at the time of his birth, his father was domiciled in a country the law of which did not permit legitimation by subsequent marriage or civil partnership.\n(2) Subject to the following provisions of this Act, where—\n(a) a person (“the child”) has a parent (“the female parent”) by virtue of section 43 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (treatment provided to woman who agrees that second woman to be parent),\n(b) at the time of the child's birth, the female parent and the child's mother are neither married nor civil partners of each other,\n(c) the female parent and the child's mother subsequently marry or enter into a civil partnership, and\n(d) the female parent is not at the time of the marriage or the formation of the civil partnership domiciled in England and Wales but is domiciled in a country by the law of which the child became legitimated by virtue of the marriage or civil partnership,\nthe child, if living, shall in England and Wales be recognised as having been so legitimated from the date of the marriage or formation of the civil partnership notwithstanding that, at the time of the child's birth, the female parent was domiciled in a country the law of which did not permit legitimation by subsequent marriage or civil partnership.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 3 renumbered as s. 3(1) (6.4.2009 for specified purposes and 1.9.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (c. 22), s. 68(2), Sch. 6 para. 17; S.I. 2009/479, art. 6(1)(e)(2) (with art. 7, Sch.)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(1) substituted (13.3.2014) by The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Consequential and Contrary Provisions and Scotland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/560), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(1) inserted (2.12.2019) by The Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1458), regs. 1(2), 12(5)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(1) inserted (2.12.2019) by The Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1458), regs. 1(2), 12(5)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 3(2) inserted (6.4.2009 for specified purposes and 1.9.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (c. 22), s. 68(2), Sch. 6 para. 17; S.I. 2009/479, art. 6(1)(e)(2) (with art. 7, Sch.)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(2)(b) substituted (13.3.2014) by The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Consequential and Contrary Provisions and Scotland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/560), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(b)(i)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(2)(c) inserted (13.3.2014) by The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Consequential and Contrary Provisions and Scotland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/560), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(b)(ii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(2)(d) inserted (13.3.2014) by The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Consequential and Contrary Provisions and Scotland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/560), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(b)(iii)(aa)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(2)(d) inserted (13.3.2014) by The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Consequential and Contrary Provisions and Scotland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/560), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(b)(iii)(bb)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(2) inserted (13.3.2014) by The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Consequential and Contrary Provisions and Scotland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/560), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(b)(iv)(aa)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Words in s. 3(2) inserted (13.3.2014) by The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Consequential and Contrary Provisions and Scotland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/560), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 15(5)(b)(iv)(bb)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1976/31/section/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:30:12.646739+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}