Dutch family law, clearly explained.

Divorce: from first decision to agreements

Read what you need to prepare for a divorce in the Netherlands and what assistance is appropriate.

Create a parenting plan

A parenting plan helps to record agreements about the children clearly and executably.

Understanding parental authority

Authority determines who can and must make important decisions about a minor child.

Agree on a care arrangement or visitation arrangement

Make clear agreements about accommodation, care and contact that suit your child.

Child support: agreements on costs

Understand how to discuss and carefully record your child's financial care.

Spousal support after a divorce

Read which questions are important when making a contribution for a former spouse or registered partner.

Recognition and legal parenthood

Recognition is about legal parenthood; view authority and other consequences separately.

Separated after living together

See which agreements and documents are important when a cohabiting relationship ends.

Terminating a registered partnership

Which route suits the end of a registered partnership in the Netherlands?

Mediation in a family matter

Consider whether supported discussion fits your disagreement and circumstances.

Lawyer costs and subsidised legal aid

Clarify costs in advance and have possible financial assistance assessed.

Safety in family conflicts

When there is fear, coercion or violence, appropriate support comes before new negotiations.

Calculating child maintenance: understand the steps behind the amount

From needs and net disposable income to care arrangements: prepare a maintenance calculation you can understand.

Changing maintenance: from changed circumstances to a substantiated request

Prepare for changes in income, care or family circumstances while handling the existing obligation carefully.

Maintenance not paid: build a clear record of missed payments

Check arrears, communicate safely and prepare to seek help from the LBIO or another appropriate adviser.

Maintenance indexation in 2026: check the amount, base year and payments

Understand annual increases, avoid calculation errors and distinguish indexation from recalculation.

Maintenance from age eighteen: involve the young adult

Prepare clear arrangements for living expenses, studies and the young adult’s independent position.

How long does spousal maintenance last? Check the applicable rules first

Duration depends on the applicable regime, relationship details, exceptions and existing agreements.

A business during divorce: establish entitlements before valuation

Prepare the questions about business assets, matrimonial agreements, valuation and implementation.

Divorcing as a business owner: explain income and maintain continuity

Organise business figures, personal expenses and day-to-day responsibilities during divorce.

International divorce: four legal questions before choosing a country

Distinguish jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement in a cross-border divorce.

Divorcing a foreign partner: handle language, documents and residence separately

Prepare for a divorce when nationality, a residence permit or foreign records require attention alongside family law.

Applying for parental authority: first check whether you already have it

Check recognition dates, registers and documents, and distinguish a joint application from a contested court request.

Contact arrangements not followed: distinguish restoring contact from safety concerns

Organise agreements, missed contact and concerns, and prepare legal advice when a child’s contact arrangements break down.

Received a divorce petition? Prepare your response for each issue

Read a petition, protect procedural deadlines and distinguish the divorce itself from requests concerning children, finances or the home.

Appealing a family-law decision: assess the ruling, your interests and the route

Prepare for advice when you want a court of appeal to review a decision about children, maintenance or divorce.

Marital property agreements on divorce: read the deed before dividing assets

Distinguish ownership, contractual equalisation and reimbursement, and gather the right documents for settlement.

Gifts or inheritance on divorce: trace the money and its legal basis

Why the marital property regime, exclusion clauses, documents and subsequent use all matter when assessing inherited or gifted assets.

Child budget after separation: check the applicant, household and calculation

Understand the separate roles of SVB and Dienst Toeslagen, and avoid mistaken financial assumptions about shared parenting.

Divorcing with debts: distinguish sharing the burden from creditors’ rights

Organise contracts, the origins of debts and payment risks before agreeing how to allocate them.

A new partner and maintenance: identify which question really changes

Distinguish a new relationship, cohabitation, stepparent status and the existing maintenance arrangements.

Applying for divorce: preparing for the procedure

From the first lawyer consultation to registration: understand the steps in a Dutch divorce application.

Separating with children: from the first conversation to a daily plan

Prepare carefully for care, decisions, communication and costs when separating with children.

Divorce settlement agreement: what to understand before signing

Make financial and practical agreements precise and check their connections, conditions and implementation.

Interim measures during divorce: what cannot wait?

Prepare a focused question about temporary housing, children or maintenance during divorce.

The family home after separation: stay, leave or sell?

Distinguish temporary occupation, ownership, financing and the tax consequences of the home.

Buying out a partner: questions before the calculation

Investigate entitlements, value, financing and tax before finally agreeing on a buyout amount.

Pensions after divorce: rights, choices and implementation

Map retirement pensions, survivor pensions and other provisions separately before making agreements.

Dividing assets and debts after separation

First establish which property falls under which rules, then prepare a substantiated proposal for division.

The child interview: space for the child's voice

Understand the Dutch child interview and support a child without directing what they say.

Shared parenting: from a schedule to workable arrangements

Assess care, information, money and daily feasibility without relying solely on the label shared parenting.

Moving with a child after separation: preparation and consent

Map parental authority, daily consequences and alternatives before finalising a relocation plan.

Holidays abroad with a child: authority, consent and documents

Prepare a trip abroad with the appropriate consent and the child's own travel documents.

Separation: what should you arrange in the first week?

A practical order for the first days of separation: safety, children, money, documents and legal help.

Communication after separation: make workable arrangements

A practical communication plan about children, including boundaries, information arrangements, examples and safety.

Which documents do you need when separating?

Organise documents for your lawyer, children, home, income and debts, with a document register and guidance on missing or sensitive information.

Reviewing separation agreements: does the plan still work?

Review care, communication, child costs and housing arrangements. Distinguish practical adjustments from changes needing legal assessment.

Family-law help in another language: prepare your meeting

Find legal help when Dutch is not your first language: interpreters, translations, costs, foreign documents and questions for the lawyer.