GAY and lesbian couples are to be married for the first time in Scotland today.

Legislation has allowed those already in civil partnerships to now convert them to marriages through a free administrative process without a ceremony.

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 which received Royal Assent in March, also allows same sex couples to give notice of intention to marry from today. The current minimum notice period is 15 clear days. The first same sex marriage ceremonies will therefore take place on December 31.

It is understood the first couple to make use of the new law was Douglas Pretsell and Peter Gloster, who converted their Scottish civil partnership to a Scottish marriage at the British Consulate in Melbourne, Australia, as soon as the law came into effect at one minute past midnight.

Mr Pretsell, 47, who is originally from Edinburgh, and Mr Gloster, 47, from Melbourne, have been together for seven years and had their civil partnership in August 2010 at Fenton Tower in North Berwick, East Lothian.

They said: "We are so proud of Scotland for introducing equal marriage, and we hope that other countries like Australia will soon follow Scotland's lead."

Glasgow's registry office have been expecting 13 couples to convert their civil partnerships today with 12 couples doing the same in Edinburgh and three in Dundee. Couples in Aberdeen can drop in on the day.

The development comes as a new survey by ScotCen Social Research shows that liberal attitudes to same-sex marriage in Scotland have reached an all-time high.

Over two-thirds (68 per cent) of people in Scotland now agree that gay or lesbian couples should have the right to marry if they want to. This compares to 61 per cent in 2010 and just 41 per cent in 2002.

And certain groups that have been more likely to oppose same-sex marriage have become considerably more liberal in their views.

In 2010 less than a third (29 per cent) of over 65s supported gay marriage compared to 44 percent in 2014, a 15 percentage point increase. However the over 65s remain the only age group in which less than half support same-sex marriage.

Tom French, policy and public affairs coordinator for the Equality Network, said; "After many years of campaigning, we are delighted that as of same-sex marriage is now legal in Scotland."

A Church of Scotland spokesman said: "We recognise that the legal landscape has changed. The Church of Scotland has not been supportive of this legislation. We have no plans to change this position on the Church providing same sex marriage ceremonies."

Earlier this month it emerged that civil partnerships in Scotland have seen a sharp drop over the last year as couples await their chance to tie the knot.

Data from the National Records of Scotland showed the number of couples entering a civil union was just 140 during the third quarter of 2013 - a drop of 54 on the same period the previous year.