A life partnership is a family union of two people of the same (legally recognized) sex concluded before a registrar in the Republic of Croatia and based on the principles of equality, mutual respect of dignity, mutual assistance and appreciation. A life partnership is concluded in the presence of persons who intend to enter into a life partnership, the registrar and two witnesses.
In rights and effects, life partnership is equalized with the marriage of persons of different sex, with the exception concerning the right to a single-parent adoption and joint adoption of children.
A life partnership can be concluded as long as all the following circumstances apply:
- persons who intend to conclude a life partnership are of the same (legally recognized) sex
- persons who intend to conclude a life partnership are 18 or older
- persons have expressed their consent to conclude a life partnership and are capable of reasoning (in the legal sense, may give consent)
- persons who intend to conclude a life partnership are married before a registrar in the presence of two witnesses
A life partnership may not be concluded if:
- persons who intend to conclude a life partnership are related by blood (in a direct line, and in the lateral line to the fourth degree)
- the person or persons who intend to conclude a life partnership are not of free marital status, i.e. one of the partners is already married or in another life partnership
Informal life partnership
Informal life partnership is a family union of two people of the same (legally recognized) sex, who have not concluded a life partnership before a registrar. Similar to married life partners, this is also a family union based on the principles of equality, mutual respect of dignity, mutual assistance and appreciation.
In rights and effects, the informal life partnership is equalized with the common-law marriage of persons of the different sex and is proved in the same way and under the same conditions as the common-law marriage.
Informal life partnership exists if:
- union lasts at least three years and from the beginning meets the legal requirements of a lifepartnership. In short, if the partners continuously maintain relationship for three years, without interruption, and are not living with other persons in other common-law marriagee. other informal life partnership
- partners declare that they live in informal life partnership. This declaration, in order to exercise certain rights from the Same-sex Life Partnership Act, may also be certified by a public notary
In case of dispute, the existence of the informal life partnership shall be proved before the competent court.