Your resource for divorce law in The Netherlands
The Netherlands allows marriage and civil partnerships for all couples. Civil partnerships, having the same legal status as marriage, can be dissolved through mutual agreement or via family court if children are present. The dissolution process considers shared assets and maintenance obligations, and can be pursued in the Netherlands regardless of current residence.
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In The Netherlands, if a child is deemed at risk, child protection services (CPS) can be called in. This can range from voluntary help to forced interventions. However, it is a stubborn myth that the authorities take children out of their homes easily. This article examines the role of different partsRead more
This blog deals with the tricky question whether a spouse can forfeit spousal maintenance in The Netherlands due to bad behaviour.
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What if the biological parent is not a feature in the children’s lives but your new partner is? Sometimes after a divorce the other parent disappears and is not there to make the important decisions and a new partner is the ‘Dad’ in the children’s lives. Or the biological parentRead more
It has to be one of the most contentious parenting disputes after a divorce. How do you introduce or act towards a new partner that will be a part of your child’s family from now on? This article discusses some do’s and don’ts regarding new partners in order to avoidRead more
Joint parental custody means that both parents need to agree on a school for their child. Choosing a school can be problematic, not just in divorce situations. Dutch law permits parents to request the family court to resolve any disputes that may occur. This article explains how the courts generallyRead more
Child maintenance is usually owed until the age of 21 in The Netherlands. However, a child legally reaches majority at 18. Who is therefore responsible for requesting maintenance for young adults once they reach the age of 18?
You found your dream home. And as far as you were concerned everything was perfect until a crisis arose in your marriage. You are now getting a divorce. But who gets the house? Your spouse was never that interested in the house, but suddenly they want to keep it.
Usually, the Dutch divorce courts are only competent to hear divorce cases if one of the parties lives in The Netherlands or both parties are of Dutch nationality (see here for a full overview of when the courts have jurisdiction). During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, it is not always possibleRead more
During a divorce, you may be tempted to keep quiet about certain property to keep it out of the divorce settlement. This is particularly so if the other spouse has no knowledge of the property. However, Dutch law has a harsh penalty for the concealment of property during divorce.