AFFAIRES GENERALES ET POLITIQUE GENERAL AFFAIRS AND POLICY Doc. prél. No 11 Prel. Doc. No 11 mars / March 2008 NOTE SUR LES DEVELOPPEMENTS EN DROIT INTERNE ET DROIT INTERNATIONAL PRIVE SUR LA COHABITATION HORS MARIAGE, Y COMPRIS LES PARTENARIATS ENREGISTRES établie par Caroline Harnois (ancienne Collaboratrice juridique) et Juliane Hirsch (Collaboratrice juridique) * * * NOTE ON DEVELOPMENTS IN INTERNAL LAW AND PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW CONCERNING COHABITATION OUTSIDE MARRIAGE, INCLUDING REGISTERED PARTNERSHIPS drawn up by Caroline Harnois (former Legal Officer) and Juliane Hirsch (Legal Officer) Document préliminaire No 11 de mars 2008 à l’intention du Conseil d’avril 2008 sur les affaires générales et la politique de la Conférence Preliminary Document No 11 of March 2008 for the attention of the Council of April 2008 on General Affairs and Policy of the Conference Permanent Bureau | Bureau Permanent 6, Scheveningseweg 2517 KT The Hague | La Haye The Netherlands | Pays-Bas telephone | téléphone +31 (70) 363 3303 fax | télécopieur +31 (70) 360 4867 e-mail | courriel [email protected] website | site internet http://www.hcch.net NOTE SUR LES DEVELOPPEMENTS EN DROIT INTERNE ET DROIT INTERNATIONAL PRIVE SUR LA COHABITATION HORS MARIAGE, Y COMPRIS LES PARTENARIATS ENREGISTRES établie par Caroline Harnois (ancienne Collaboratrice juridique) et Juliane Hirsch (Collaboratrice juridique) * * * NOTE ON DEVELOPMENTS IN INTERNAL LAW AND PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW CONCERNING COHABITATION OUTSIDE MARRIAGE, INCLUDING REGISTERED PARTNERSHIPS drawn up by Caroline Harnois (former Legal Officer) and Juliane Hirsch (Legal Officer) 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 5 A – BACKGROUND FOR THIS NOTE - UPDATING OF DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY HCCH ..........................5 B – TERMINOLOGY ...................................................................................................6 C – STRUCTURE ......................................................................................................8 PART I – RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WITH RESPECT TO UNMARRIED COHABITATION (DE FACTO UNION) IN INTERNAL LAW ..................................... 9 A – PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ..................................................................................9 B – DEFINITION OF UNMARRIED COHABITATION / DE FACTO UNION ............................................9 C – FORMATION OF THE UNION ................................................................................... 10 1. Conditions or indicia ............................................................................... 10 a) Duration .......................................................................................... 10 b) Exclusivity........................................................................................ 11 c) Gender ............................................................................................ 11 d) Minimum age.................................................................................... 12 e) Other requirements or indicia.............................................................. 12 2. Impediments......................................................................................... 12 a) Prohibited degrees ............................................................................ 12 b) Undissolved marriage or registered partnership ..................................... 13 c) Other impediments............................................................................ 13 3. Procedure ............................................................................................. 13 D – LEGAL EFFECTS ................................................................................................ 14 1. Property rights....................................................................................... 14 a) Apportionment of property ................................................................. 14 b) Maintenance..................................................................................... 15 c) Compensatory allowance.................................................................... 16 2. Rights with respect to financial matters (taxation, welfare and pensions) ....... 17 3. Family rights with respect to relations between partners.............................. 17 a) Protection of the family home ............................................................. 18 b) Inheritance ...................................................................................... 18 4. Family rights relating to children .............................................................. 19 a) Adoption .......................................................................................... 19 b) Assisted reproduction ........................................................................ 20 E – TERMINATION OF THE COHABITATION ....................................................................... 20 PART II – RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WITH RESPECT TO REGISTERED PARTNERSHIPS IN INTERNAL LAW .................................................................. 21 A – DEFINITION OF A REGISTERED PARTNERSHIP ............................................................... 21 B – TYPES OF REGISTERED PARTNERSHIP........................................................................ 21 1. Distinction of registered partnerships by gender requirement ....................... 21 2. Distinction between strong or weak forms of registered partnerships ............. 22 3. Distinction by function given to registered partnerships in a legal system ....... 22 C – FORMATION OF THE PARTNERSHIP ........................................................................... 23 1. Requirements for validity ........................................................................ 23 a) Exclusivity........................................................................................ 23 b) Gender ............................................................................................ 24 c) Age................................................................................................. 24 d) Minimum duration of cohabitation........................................................ 25 e) Consent ........................................................................................... 25 f) Formal requirements ......................................................................... 25 4 2. Impediments......................................................................................... 27 a) Prohibited degrees ............................................................................ 27 b) Undissolved marriage or registered partnership ..................................... 28 D – LEGAL EFFECTS OF THE PARTNERSHIP ....................................................................... 28 1. Property rights....................................................................................... 28 2. Rights with respect to financial matters (taxation, welfare and pensions) ....... 29 3. Family rights with respect to the relationship between partners .................... 29 a) Obligations and duties of partners ....................................................... 30 (i) Cohabitation obligation................................................................. 30 (ii) Obligation of faithfulness.............................................................. 30 (iii) Support and assistance obligation and obligation to contribute to household expenses .......................................................................... 30 (iv) Duty to repay debts.................................................................... 31 (v) Protection of the family home ....................................................... 31 b) Entitlement to maintenance ................................................................ 31 c) Name .............................................................................................. 32 d) Inheritance ...................................................................................... 32 e) Other effects .................................................................................... 32 4. Family rights relating to children .............................................................. 33 a) Adoption .......................................................................................... 33 b) Assisted reproduction ........................................................................ 34 c) Parental responsibility / authority ........................................................ 35 E – DISSOLUTION OF THE PARTNERSHIP ......................................................................... 35 PART III – SUMMARY REVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WITH RESPECT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ....................................................................................... 37 PART IV – ISSUES OF PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW RELATING TO UNMARRIED COHABITATION............................................................................ 39 A – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 39 B – APPLICABLE LAW............................................................................................... 39 1. Law applicable to formation of the unmarried cohabitation ........................... 40 2. Law applicable to the effects of unmarried cohabitation ............................... 41 PART V – ISSUES OF PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL