Greek Divorce Law

Did you know that Greek Divorce Law demands each of the spouses to be represented by a lawyer? Yet divorce by consent or contested divorce.
Article Last Updated: 08 Oct, 2023 under Divorce

Greek Divorce Law reserves some surprises to the uninformed breaking couple. This brief article will introduce some key aspects to care about.

The selection of Greece as the forum and the jurisdiction in order for a married couple to issue a divorce depends on various factors.

The most important of them is the place of the last common residence of the couple or the place of their common nationality or the place with which the couple is the most closely connected.

Please note that in Greece, the concept of 'legal separation' does not exist. Legal separation entails the termination of legal responsibility for the other spouse, however the spouses remain married and in this way is distinct from divorce

 In the case of a divorce, the issues that may arise are varied and crucial for example, distribution of marital property, the use of the family home, parent-child contact, spousal and child support, child custody, etc. As a result, the Greek legislation does not permit spouses to represent themselves at court but rather they must have a lawyer to represent them.

There are two types of divorce in Greece: divorce by consent and contested divorce. Even though it may appear that the choice depends only on the relationship that the spouses maintain with each other at the time they decide to get a divorce, this is not always true and a lawyer will help you with this decision.

For example, in a situation where there were allegations on the part of wife that the husband had committed serious criminal offences against third parties, of which proof existed. As a result, the relationship between the couple was under intense pressure.

However, a consensual divorce was chosen, as a contested divorce could harm the reputation of the husband as well as his financial stability, with negative consequences for the psychological health of their child and the provision of child maintenance.

In divorce by consent, the couple agree to dissolve the marriage between them, without litigation proceedings. The affirmation of the dissolution of the marriage is made before a public notary (and not a judge) and the only legal prerequisite in order to have such type of divorce is that the marriage has lasted at least six months.

On the other hand, in a contested divorce, either one of the spouses may bring an action seeking dissolution of the marriage, on stated grounds, before the single-member court of first instance of the place of their usual residence, or both spouses may bring such actions separately.

It should be noted that under Greek Divorce law, separation for a time period of at least 2 years is a self-sufficient ground for divorce by reason of breakdown.

Our Lawyers

Anastasia, Lawyer in Thessaloniki...
Having been internationally trained in Law, International Organizations and European Studies, she has the comparative advantage to have worked for law firms, UN-agencies, the Greek State and NGOs, thus building the ability to effectively analyse, interpret and implement a wide set of rules and regulations. She practises in foreign investments, real estate transactions, contract law, corporate law, immigration and nationality law, family law, inheritance law, debt recovery and licensing.
Anastasia did a fantastic job helping us settle a matter with a greedy, dishonest landlord. She was very honest with us from the start, always responded on time, and dealt with a very difficult character on the other party and managed to close the case with success. We are grateful for his dedication and excellent service. Thank you one more time, Anastasia!
Sebastian Nistor
Sebastian Nistor
28 Jun 2022
Speaks languages Speaks GreekSpeaks EnglishSpeaks French

Call us Now

Opertor
Office hours
9am - 9pm CET Monday - Friday