News on German and Italian family law: divorce, separation, custody, child support

The updated Düsseldorfer Tabelle for 2024 provides guidance on child support for parents living apart. What changes will there be to child support amounts? 

In the event of separation or divorce, it is common for one parent to provide financial support for the other parent's child. The recipient of child support is the parent with whom the child has his or her primary residence. The "Düsseldorfer Tabelle" serves as a guideline for determining child support. This financial support, which is paid monthly, is intended to cover the child's basic needs, including housing, food, clothing, school supplies and toys.

Download the table here.

In case of disagreement between the parents, the decision to vaccinate a normal child can be left to the parents, who can rely on the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO). 

Independent of a specific vaccination, it is not necessary to obtain an expert opinion on the child's general suitability for vaccination, because according to the STIKO recommendations, the suitability for vaccination must be checked by a physician in the specific vaccination situation and must be ruled out in the case of a contraindication. The Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main came to this conclusion in its decision of 8.3.2021 and dismissed the complaint of a father who objected to the vaccination of his son. 

In Germany, a spouse may request that the other spouse cede the use of the marital home to him or her at the time of divorce if the use of the home is more important to him or her than to the other spouse, taking into account the welfare of any children living there and the living conditions of the spouses. The spouse to whom the apartment is assigned shall take the place of the other spouse in the lease agreement concluded by the latter, or shall continue a lease agreement concluded by both spouses alone, from the date of receipt of the notice of assignment by the landlord (by the spouses) or from the date on which the decision in the proceedings on the assignment of the apartment becomes final.

In accordance with the above provisions, an application for assignment of the marital home does not require legal protection if the spouses agree on the future use of the marital home.

The possibility to apply for the conclusion of a tenancy agreement or its justification expires one year after the divorce proceedings have become final, if it has not been filed before.

Das Oberlandesgericht Hamm hatte sich in einem Berufungsverfahren mit der Frage zu befassen, wie ein Hochzeitsgeschenk und Schmuck, den die Braut erhalten hat, im Falle einer Scheidung der Ehe rechtlich zu behandeln ist.

Der Fall: Im November 2015 heirateten ein türkischer Staatsbürger und eine deutsche Staatsbürgerin. Beide waren in Deutschland geboren und aufgewachsen. Im April 2016 hatten sie außerdem eine religiöse Ehe geschlossen. In der religiösen Eheschließung war der Ehefrau von ihrem Mann ein Hochzeitsgeschenk versprochen worden. Anlässlich der Hochzeit wurde sie von den Gästen mit wertvollen Geschenken in Gold beschenkt. Nach ein paar Jahren haben die Parteien sich scheiden lassen. Die Ehefrau, die diese noch nicht erhalten hatte, verlangte die Zahlung des versprochenen Hochzeitsgeschenks sowie die Herausgabe des von den Gästen der Hochzeitsfeier geschenkten Goldes.

Der Fall unterliegt dem islamischen Recht, wonach das Geschenk an die Braut obligatorisch ist und vom Bräutigam bezahlt werden muss. Solange das Brautgeschenk noch nicht bezahlt - und damit die Verpflichtung erfüllt - wurde, bedarf die Vereinbarung über das Brautgeschenk zu ihrer Wirksamkeit - wie bei einer Schenkung in Deutschland - einer notariellen Urkunde. 

Wenn die Braut das Hochzeitsgeschenk noch nicht erhalten hat und das Versprechen des Hochzeitsgeschenks nicht notariell beurkundet wurde, kann die Zahlung des Hochzeitsgeschenks nicht verlangt werden. Erhält die Braut Gold und Schmuck von den Hochzeitsgästen, hat sie das Eigentum daran erworben und ist dazu berechtigt.

Die Vaterschaft kann innerhalb von zwei Jahren ab dem Zeitpunkt gerichtlich angefochten werden, an dem der Elternteil, der die Vaterschaft anfechten will, davon Kenntnis erlangt. 

Die Verjährungsfrist für den Anspruch beginnt mit der Kenntnis des Klägers von den Umständen, die eine Vaterschaft ausschließen. Die für den Beginn der Anfechtungsfrist maßgebliche Kenntnis der Umstände, die gegen die Vaterschaft des zum Zeitpunkt der Geburt des Kindes mit der Mutter verheirateten Mannes sprechen, wird dem vermeintlichen (biologischen) Vater bereits dadurch zugebilligt, dass er zum Zeitpunkt der Empfängnis mit der Mutter des Kindes Geschlechtsverkehr hatte und das Kind eine ihm zum Zeitpunkt der Geburt bekannte Fehlbildung aufweist, die auf einem auch bei ihm bestehenden Erbfehler beruht.

Quelle: Oberlandesgericht Hamm

The biological father only has the right to recognize the (legal) paternity of the mother's husband or another man who has acknowledged paternity if there is no socio-familial relationship between the legal father and the child.



Such a relationship can be assumed if the legal father exercises responsibility for the child. In Germany, the natural father cannot invoke the fact that he still had occasional contact with the child's mother before the child was born and wanted to take responsibility for the child when the pregnancy began.

In the case of child support, especially when additional needs are claimed (e.g. costs for day care), the specific income of the parent responsible for child support is always decisive. Therefore, in the case of additional needs, not only is the obligor parent responsible, but the other parent is also proportionally responsible for meeting these needs and must also contribute financially. Therefore, the child must be given the opportunity to obtain a detailed statement of income and expenses in order to calculate and claim the value of the obligation.



Source: Decision of the BGH

In Germany, the father of a child who is separated from the mother is required to have contact with his children, even against his declared will, if such contact is in the best interest of the child. Children have a right to contact with their parents, and parents have a legal obligation to have contact with their children.

It is generally in the best interests of the child if the child is given the opportunity to get to know its father through contact with its parents and to become familiar with him, or even to continue a personal relationship through contact. For German law, therefore, the denial of any contact with the child, and thus the severing of a personal bond, constitutes a significant departure from parental responsibility and, at the same time, the denial of a substantial part of the duty to educate the child.

Source: Frankfurt am Main District Court, decision of 11.11.2020

In Germany, court-ordered contact between a child and the other parent cannot be denied without a reasoned modification order from the court, even if the order is based on health grounds. A parent who refuses contact without a court order may be fined.

Under German law, contact between the noncustodial parent and the child is part of the absolutely necessary minimum of interpersonal relations and may only be withheld in exceptional cases. 

Source: Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main, decision of 8.7.2020.

The German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) has clarified that, under German law, the early dissolution of the community of joint property can only be requested if there is a legitimate interest.

The application for early dissolution of the community is linked exclusively to the separation and the expiration of a separation period of at least three years. After the expiry of the three-year period, neither the interruption of the protection against settlement of all assets in connection with the dissolution of the community of property nor the simultaneous pendency of a property settlement in divorce proceedings require proof of a legitimate interest in the early dissolution of the community of property.