According to the Family Act, an extramarital union is a union between an unmarried woman and an unmarried man that lasts at least three years or less under the condition that a child has been born during the period of cohabitation (Article 11 of the Family Act).

Croatian law does not provide for the registration of an extramarital union. The court shall decide if all preconditions have been met for an extramarital union in each individual case.

The same provisions of the Family Act as for spouses apply to an extramarital union between a man and a woman meeting the preconditions set in Article 3 of the Family Act).

In the Republic of Croatia, same-sexs unions are governed by the Life partnership Act. According to the Life Partnership Act, a life partnership is a family union of two persons of the same seks, registered with the competent authority (Art 2 Life partnership Act).Same seks family unions can also exist as informal life partnerships, that weren't registered if following conditions are met: the union exist over a period exceeding three years and other conditions necessary for the validity of the union were met from the beginning of the union (Art. 3 Life partnership Act).Property relations between parties of life partnership and informal life partnership are governed by a regime analogue to that of community property and separate property (see 2.1).

Print this topic

back to top