The Hong Kong government has proposed a system to recognise same-sex partnerships in accordance with a landmark court ruling two years ago, but couples will first need to have their relationship registered outside the city.

The new mechanism proposed by the government on Wednesday would also grant same-sex couples rights that have been established through previous court rulings, such as those related to medical and after-death matters, but it stops short of enshrining the same rights as marriage confers.

In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council, the government said it was proposing to implement the new registration mechanism through legislation that would allow same-sex couples to apply to have their relationship recognised in the city.

Both individuals would have to be of the same sex, adults and at least one must be a Hong Kong resident. They cannot be blood-related.

Additionally, the couple must have a valid same-sex marriage, partnership or civil union registered in a jurisdiction outside Hong Kong, while neither can be married to someone else at the time

Civil partnerships, or civil unions, are a kind of parallel institution to marriage that have been adopted in many jurisdictions where same-sex couples are not allowed to, or previously could not, marry.