Estonia's civil partnership law,
approved in 2014, took effect on Friday, but gay and lesbian couples
are being advised to hold off on exchanging vows.
Passage of the law made Estonia the
first former Soviet nation to recognize such unions.
The new law gives straight and gay
couples most of the rights afforded to married couples, though
adoption rights are limited to biological children.
While lawmakers had more than a year to
approve rules required to implement the civil partnership law,
Parliament has yet to fully do so.
According to the
AP, the Estonian Chamber of Notaries is advising couples not to
enter into unions until lawmakers adopt laws related to divorce,
inheritance and other practical matters.