ARTICLE
18 July 2024

Between Disenchantment And Legislation: International Divorce In Monaco

CP
CMS Pasquier Ciulla Marquet Pastor & Svara

Contributor

CMS Monaco is a leading law firm, providing local and international clients with a one-stop shop service for all their legal challenges, both in counselling and litigation. The firm was created in 2009 and is strongly anchored in the Monegasque market and well familiar with its dynamic economy. In 2017 the firm joined CMS, an organisation of independent law firms, composed of 80+ offices in 45+ countries, with over 6,000 lawyers worldwide, making it the only law firm in Monaco with such significant international reach. Today CMS Monaco is composed of 80+ professionals, including five partners (Avocats Associés Monégasques) and over 50 associates, experts in Monegasque law. The firm is structured around seven practice groups: Private Clients, Business Law, Real Estate & Construction, Employment, Banking & Finance, Tax and Criminal law. The teams regularly work together on complex cross-practice cases with high stakes for a large variety of Monegasque and international clients, such as companies of various sect
Divorce is often a complex procedure, especially when the spouses have different nationalities or reside in different countries.
Monaco Family and Matrimonial

Divorce is often a complex procedure, especially when the spouses have different nationalities or reside in different countries.

In a recent case, CMS assisted a British husband who lived in Monaco and then moved to Germany in his divorce proceedings against his Chinese wife, who lived in China with the couple's common child, who had been separated for more than three years.

In Monaco, the law does offer a solution when the spouses have been living separately and apart for three years: divorce on grounds of breakdown of cohabitation, under article 197-2° of the Civil Code.

The Monegasque courts have declared themselves competent to rule on the divorce and its consequences insofar as the last domicile of the spouses was in the Principality and one of the spouses was still resident there at the start of the proceedings (article 40.2 of the Code of Private International Law).

With regard to the consequences of the divorce for the couple's common child, the wife had argued that the Monegasque courts did not have jurisdiction pursuant to the Hague Convention of 19 October 1996, which would have given jurisdiction to the judicial authorities of the child's place of residence and therefore, in this case, to China.

However, as China is not a signatory to the Hague Convention of 19 October 1996, whose rules are not universal, this argument was rejected by the Monegasque judges, who therefore retained jurisdiction to rule on both the consequences of the divorce relating to the spouses and those relating to the common child.

With regard to the applicable law, the divorce was governed by Monegasque law pursuant to article 41 of the Code of Private International Law, which states that the law applicable to divorce before the Monegasque courts is Monegasque law unless the spouses request the application of the law of which they both have the common nationality, which was not the case here.

This decision has the merit of applying the rules of private international law to international divorce in practical terms.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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