Family
Shi'a jurisprudence codified, with family courts and the 2013 Family Protection Law
Marriage, divorce and custody are governed by the Civil Code's personal status provisions, drawn from Twelver Shi'a jurisprudence, and administered by specialised family courts under the Family Protection Law 2013.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National. Recognised religious minorities apply their own personal status rules in some matters.
Governing law
- Civil Code, Books Seven to Tenpersonal status
- Family Protection Law 1391/2013
In practice
The Family Protection Law 2013 consolidated jurisdiction in family courts and introduced procedural requirements before a divorce is registered, including referral to counselling. Substantively, a husband's right to unilateral divorce (talaq) remains, while a wife's route is either a stipulated delegated right in the marriage contract or a judicial divorce on defined grounds. Mahr is enforceable as a debt and is often the practical mechanism through which financial settlement occurs. Recognised minorities — Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians under Article 13 — apply their own rules in some personal status matters.