Matrimonial and cohabitation property agreements
Simplify your life. To avoid future disputes, it is worth settling your financial arrangements in advance — even during a happy relationship — whether before marriage or during it.
Property acquired during the marriage is presumed by law to be jointly acquired, and the parties share it equally. Separate property includes assets owned before the marriage, assets acquired by gift or inheritance, and assets that later replace them. However, by mutual agreement, the parties may arrange their financial affairs differently from the statutory rules — this is the purpose of a matrimonial property agreement.
Divorce proceedings
Mutual consent divorce and contested divorce
Our firm handles the preparation of a fair agreement between the parties in mutual consent divorce cases, the filing of the court petition, and representation throughout — ensuring the divorce is concluded as quickly and painlessly as possible.
If a child was born to the couple, court approval of the mutual consent requires that the parties agree on the child’s placement.
The petition must be filed personally by the party seeking the divorce, but legal representation may be authorised for the proceedings. The court fee in divorce cases is HUF 30,000, payable in revenue stamps.
As a first step, the court always attempts to reconcile the parties and establishes whether the marriage has irretrievably broken down. The court may hear the case on the merits at the first hearing if reconciliation fails and the spouse is under full legal incapacity, is at an unknown location, or is otherwise unable to appear; or if the parties have been separated for at least three years in separate homes and demonstrate that the placement and support of any joint child has been resolved in the child’s interests; or if no minor children were born of the marriage.
Where mutual consent divorce is not possible, our firm undertakes legal representation in contested divorce proceedings. In such cases the process can be lengthy, and while we provide full representation, we always endeavour to propose solutions acceptable to both parties.
Child custody, contact arrangements and maintenance
When a child is born to a couple, the parents are connected for life. Where parents cannot agree on the child’s placement, contact arrangements, or maintenance, the court decides based on the best interests of the child. Our firm undertakes representation in custody proceedings and related contact and maintenance matters.
Matrimonial property litigation
Paternity and parentage proceedings
The purpose of parentage proceedings is to establish the relationship between parent and child and the child’s legal status. There are several types: establishment of paternity, rebuttal of the presumption of paternity, establishment of maternity, and proceedings for recognition of the effect of a subsequent marriage. Under family law, if the mother was in a marriage at the time of the child’s birth or during part of the conception period, the mother’s husband is automatically registered as the father.
The conception period is defined as the period between the 182nd and 300th day before the child’s date of birth, both days inclusive.
Fees for family law proceedings
Specific fees are always set out in an engagement agreement following an initial personal consultation.
Hourly rate: HUF 12,000. Clients are informed in advance of the estimated duration of the work.
Matrimonial or cohabitation property agreement — drafting and countersigning: from HUF 40,000.
Out-of-court agreement on child placement, contact and maintenance — drafting and countersigning: from HUF 40,000.
Statement of claim — divorce: from HUF 30,000
Statement of claim — child placement or change thereof: from HUF 40,000
Statement of claim — regulation or modification of contact: from HUF 30,000
Statement of claim — establishment or modification of maintenance: from HUF 30,000
Statement of claim — termination or suspension of parental rights: from HUF 30,000
Statement of claim — rebuttal of presumption of paternity or establishment of paternity: from HUF 30,000
Statement of claim — termination of matrimonial or cohabitation property community: from HUF 60,000