A free divorce is possible if you are eligible for subsidized legal aid. The Dutch government believes that everyone has the right to legal assistance, even if you’re getting divorced and can’t afford to hire a lawyer yourself. Do you have a low to average income and have decided to divorce? Do you want to avoid a contested divorce and arrange everything amicably? If you meet the requirements of the Legal Aid Board, divorce is 100% free. This makes us unique in the Netherlands! With all other agencies, you still have to pay personal contributions and/or court fees. Not with us! We’re happy to explain how this works.
Conditions for free divorce
To qualify for a free divorce and subsidized legal aid, you must meet several conditions. These include:
- Your taxable income
- Your assets
- Your intention to separate amicably
The income requirements change annually, and the maximum amount also depends on your living situation. Do you live with minor children? Then your taxable income can be considerably higher. We submit the application for the subsidized divorce to the Legal Aid Board.
The Legal Aid Board amounts as of January 1, 2025, are:
Taxable income or total income:
1 person without children: €33,200 per person,
married, cohabiting, or single-parent family: €46,900 per person.
Your net worth is set at €18,697.50 per person.
The year in which the Legal Aid Board assesses your taxable income and assets is 2023.
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Married, registered partners or cohabitation contract
Whether you’re married or a registered partner, the consequences of separating don’t differ much. We’ll explain how:
- Marriage: A marriage is dissolved by a court order through divorce. This is final from the moment the divorce decree is registered.
- Legal separation: The marriage remains in effect, but you separate. This separation is often used for religious reasons.
- Registered partnership: A registered partnership is dissolved by a court order if you have children. If there are no children, a declaration from a lawyer or notary is sufficient.
- Cohabitation agreement: Officially, you do not need to dissolve anything, but the consequences of ending the relationship depend on what is stated in the agreement.
- Dissolving a cohabitation agreement without a cohabitation agreement: If there are minor children, a parenting plan is drawn up and must be issued by court order.
Together Free Divorce helps you with your divorce, civil partnership dissolution, or separation, free of charge. We put clear agreements in writing so you can start making plans for the future separately.
