Family
The 1995 Family Code with registry divorce for childless couples
The Family Code of 1995 governs marriage, parentage and maintenance. Spouses without minor children who both consent may divorce at the registry office in one month, while all other cases go to the magistrate or district court.
Key rules
- Registry divorce is available by mutual consent where there are no minor children.
- Property acquired during marriage is joint unless a notarial marriage contract provides otherwise.
- Child maintenance is a share of income: a quarter for one child, a third for two.
- Marriage is defined as a union of a man and a woman under the 2020 constitutional amendment.
Governing law
- Family Code of the Russian Federation (1995)
- Federal Law No. 143-FZ on civil status acts (1997)
- Federal Law No. 229-FZ on enforcement proceedings (2007)Maintenance enforcement.
In practice
Foreign same-sex marriages are not recognised, and the 2023 ban on legal gender recognition also blocked marriage and adoption for transgender people.