The first divorce of a civil union couple has taken place in Malta seven years after the island legalised the option.

A Civil Court has approved the divorce decision by the couple who had married in a civil union, and not in a church ceremony, shortly after the country allowed it.

Judge Abigail Lofaro, who oversaw the decision, noted the couple had joined together in a civil union back in 2015, before separating two years later, TVM reported.

They were then officially separated in 2018.

The couple had no children together and had no issues related to monthly maintenance payments. With the court seeing that there was little prospect of reconciliation between the couple, the court decided to dissolve the union.

The civil union law came into effect around seven and a half years ago, and is an option for both same sex couples as well as opposite sex couples. It grants civil unions the same rights, responsibilities, and obligations as marriage, including the right of joint adoption.