Family
Code civil family law with the 2005 decree on plaçage children
Marriage, filiation and succession are governed by the Code civil of 1825 as amended, with divorce available on fault grounds and by mutual consent. A 2005 decree removed the discriminatory distinction between legitimate and natural children for succession purposes, which mattered greatly in a society where plaçage, informal conjugal union, is common. Domestic violence and sexual offences were addressed by a 2005 decree that reclassified rape as a crime against the person rather than an offence against morals.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunaux de première instance; état civil offices for registration
- Deadline — Divorce by mutual consent: pronounced after the procedure before the tribunal is completed
- Deadline — Registration of a birth: within the period set for the état civil, with late registration requiring a court judgment
Governing law
- Code civil de 1825, family provisions
- Décret du 8 octobre 1982status of women in marriage
- Décret du 6 juillet 2005filiation and equality of children
- Décret du 6 juillet 2005sexual violence
In practice
Late birth registration is a structural problem with direct legal consequences, because a person without an acte de naissance struggles to prove filiation, inherit, obtain identity documents or vote, and regularising it requires a judicial declaration rather than an administrative fix. The 1982 decree removed the husband's legal status as head of the household, but customary practice in property and succession matters often lags behind the text.