Relationships and your rights in Ireland

Information

Civil Relationships

The rights of the non-marital family (i.e. families not based on marriage) are not recognised in Irish law. This has important implications for a number of areas in your life - including inheritance rights, property ownership, custody and guardianship of children, adoption and fostering.

Getting married

CitizensInformation.ie provides information that you need if you are getting married in Ireland and abroad, including information on different legal ways of getting married, how marriage will change your legal status, legal prerequisites for marriage, age requirements, notification requirements , the registration of marriage and getting married abroad.

Separation and Divorce

The end of a marriage is a difficult and traumatic process. The information provided on the Citizens Information website will help you deal with the different practical aspects of marital breakdown.

Information is available on divorce, judicial separation, thelegal consequences of separation and divorce mediated agreements, separation agreements, what happens the the family home and maintenance agreements.

Same-sex Relationships

The definition of 'marriage' in Ireland does not include same-sex partnerships, so same-sex couples cannot become legally married here. There is also no provision in Ireland for the legal registration of same-sex partnerships. This section looks at various aspects of your life with your partner - for example property rights, inheritance, guardianship, custody and access to your children. We also examine the issue of surrogate motherhood.

Grandparents

Grandparents also have certain rights in relation to their grandchild. Where grandparents are having difficulty in maintaining contact with their grandchild, under the Children Act 1997 they can apply for leave to apply for access to the child through the District Court. If the grandparents are the main carer of the child and the child is not being properly financial maintained by either or both parents, the grandparents can apply to the District Court for a maintenance order. Grandparents may be able to adopt or foster a grandchild. Where parents dies without making a will appointing someone to act as guardian of their child, the grandparents can apply to the District Court to be appointed guardians. Treoir have published a booklet entitled Being there for them (pdf) for grandparents of children whose parents are not married to each other.