Family
Family Courts with separate jurisdiction by religious community
Family Courts established under Law 23/1990 handle matrimonial matters. Jurisdiction is divided: separate Family Courts exist for members of the Greek Orthodox Church and for the recognised religious groups, reflecting the constitutional allocation of family matters to communal authority.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Areas under the effective control of the Republic, through Family Courts in each district.
- Deadline — For Greek Orthodox members, a divorce petition generally follows notice to the Bishop and expiry of a three-month period
Governing law
- Family Courts Law 23/1990
- Marriage Law 104(I)/2003 — civil marriage
- Law 22(I)/2021 on the prevention and combating of violence against women and domestic violence
- Civil Partnership Law 184(I)/2015
In practice
The structure reflects the 1960 constitutional settlement, under which family law was a communal matter. In practice there are Family Courts for the Greek Orthodox majority and separate ones for the Armenian, Maronite and Latin religious groups. Civil marriage is available to all under the Marriage Law, and religious marriage by a recognised officiant also has civil effect. For Greek Orthodox members a divorce petition ordinarily requires prior notification to the ecclesiastical authority. The Civil Partnership Law of 2015 recognises same-sex and opposite-sex partnerships with most, though not all, of the consequences of marriage.