Family
Marriage, PACS and no-fault divorce by mutual consent before a notaire
France offers marriage (including same-sex since 2013) and the PACS civil partnership. Divorce by mutual consent has since 2017 been finalised by lawyers and registered by a notaire, without a judge.
Key rules
- Same-sex marriage has been lawful since the loi Taubira of 2013.
- The PACS is a widely used registered partnership with lighter effects than marriage.
- Divorce by mutual consent is deformalised and no longer needs a judge, save where a child asks to be heard.
Governing law
- Code civil, family provisions
- Loi ouvrant le mariage aux couples de même sexe (2013)
In practice
Forced heirship (réserve héréditaire) constrains how much of an estate can be left away from children, which surprises many foreign residents.