Legal News
British Spouses Divorce Overseas (14 October 2011)
Date: 14/10/2011
An increased number of British spouses are attempting to begin divorce proceedings abroad in order to secure a more favourable divorce settlement, legal sources have claimed. It has been reported that many men believe that the British courts are too ‘wife-friendly’ and consider it necessary to try to secure a better deal in another European country. While British courts are able to award ex-wives lifelong maintenance, many other EU countries fail to hold non-working and less wealthy spouses in such high regard and often limit post-marital support to a maximum of three years. The growth in the international lifestyle of many Brits has led to spouses vying to benefit from the likely disparity of divorce settlement outcomes in different countries. Statistics have revealed that in 2007, 13 per cent of the one million divorces set in motion across Europe involved spouses from different countries.
Many EU countries operate a ‘first past the post’ system, meaning that a divorce is handled in the country in which divorce papers are initially issued. It is not easy to divorce in another country, however. Spouses must be able to demonstrate a degree of justification for beginning divorce proceedings in a given country yet the increase in the number of people residing and working abroad has led to an increased proportion of individuals qualifying. The European Union has recently moved to introduce regulations to dictate where divorce proceedings should be issued in the event that a couple is unable to reach an agreement.
Duncan Lewis’ family law solicitors comprise of a professional, efficient team possessing a wealth of experience in dealing with divorce proceedings.