Same-sex couples in Taiwan's capital will now be able to to apply for family care leave and sign surgical or medical treatment consent forms for each other through the city's newly implemented same-sex partnership certificates.

At least seven couples applied for certificates since the programme was launched last week. Qualified couples must be at at least 20 years old, single and have household registration in Taipei or other cooperating cities and counties such as Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Changhua County, the city's Department of Civil Affairs said.

The certificate evolved from an A4 document that the Department of Civil Affairs of the Taipei City government began to issue June 17, 2015, but was criticised over its size.

Over 272 couples had applied to register for the larger previous certificate.

Taipei is the second city in Taiwan to issue same-sex partnership certificates, following Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. Other city's in the country have plans to follow.