Karcher Rechtsanwälte: guides https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/ Articles on separation and divorce under German family law, from a law firm in Frankfurt am Main. en-US Child maintenance: reading the Düsseldorf table properly https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/child-maintenance-duesseldorf-table/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/child-maintenance-duesseldorf-table/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Income bracket, age band, child benefit, protected minimum: how the figure in the Düsseldorf table turns into the amount that is actually transferred. Debts in the divorce: who is liable for the joint loan? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/debts-in-the-divorce/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/debts-in-the-divorce/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Marriage does not turn someone else's debts into your own. Who nevertheless stands in for the joint loan, and why the bank does not have to play along. Inheritance law in separation and divorce: the most dangerous period https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/inheritance-law-in-separation-and-divorce/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/inheritance-law-in-separation-and-divorce/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Until the divorce becomes final, a separated spouse inherits as normal. When that right falls away and which powers of attorney to revoke at once. Mediation in separation and divorce: when it carries https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/mediation-in-separation-and-divorce/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/mediation-in-separation-and-divorce/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Mediation replaces neither a lawyer nor the court, but it can settle the consequences of a separation more cheaply. How it runs, and when it does not. Filling in the pension rights adjustment questionnaire: what matters https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/pension-adjustment-questionnaire-v10/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/pension-adjustment-questionnaire-v10/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Form V10 is the one place in divorce proceedings where you have a say in the pace. Which entitlements belong in it, and which are regularly forgotten. Post-marital maintenance: when it ends https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/post-marital-maintenance-when-it-ends/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/post-marital-maintenance-when-it-ends/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT After the divorce, self-responsibility applies. When maintenance is nevertheless owed, and why any time limit turns on the marriage-related disadvantage. Separation maintenance: who gets how much, and from when? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/separation-maintenance-how-much/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/separation-maintenance-how-much/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Separation maintenance runs from the separation until the divorce becomes final. How the amount is formed and why the moment of demanding it decides months. Tax after the separation: tax class, assessment, Realsplitting https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/tax-after-the-separation/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/tax-after-the-separation/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The year of separation has a tax cut-off date that many people miss. When joint assessment is still possible, and how the Realsplitting scheme works. When the pension rights adjustment falls away https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/when-the-pension-adjustment-falls-away/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/when-the-pension-adjustment-falls-away/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A short marriage, minor entitlements, gross inequity or an agreement: the four routes by which the pension rights adjustment shrinks or falls away. Your name after the divorce: keep it, drop it, combine it https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/your-name-after-the-divorce/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/your-name-after-the-divorce/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT After the divorce you keep the married name automatically, or you drop it, at any time and without any deadline. What the 2025 reform added. I hold two nationalities: under which law will we be divorced? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-with-dual-nationality/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-with-dual-nationality/ Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Where there are several passports, the closest connection counts; a German passport usually takes precedence. A shared second nationality opens up room. What does a prenuptial agreement cost? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/what-does-a-prenuptial-agreement-cost/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/what-does-a-prenuptial-agreement-cost/ Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The notary fees for a prenuptial agreement are set by statute (GNotKG) and follow the assets being settled; they are not open to negotiation. An inherited family home: how 500,000 euros turned into 30,000 https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/inherited-family-home-in-the-equalization/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/inherited-family-home-in-the-equalization/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT One spouse saw the whole inherited house as divisible. Why only the increase in value during the marriage counted: an anonymized case from our practice. Disclosure about your spouse's assets: what you are entitled to https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/disclosure-about-your-spouses-assets/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/disclosure-about-your-spouses-assets/ Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT In the equalization of accrued gains you are entitled to disclosure about your spouse's assets. How § 1379 BGB uncovers what has disappeared. Excluding or modifying accrued gains by prenuptial agreement https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/excluding-equalization-by-prenup/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/excluding-equalization-by-prenup/ Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The equalization of accrued gains can be excluded or adjusted by prenuptial agreement: separation of property, a modified regime, and the limits. Foreign assets in the equalization: which property law applies https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/foreign-assets-in-the-equalization/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/foreign-assets-in-the-equalization/ Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT With an international element, the EU Matrimonial Property Regulation decides which property law applies. Absent a choice, the first joint residence counts. Paying the equalization without breaking up the business https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/paying-the-equalization-without-breaking-up-the-business/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/paying-the-equalization-without-breaking-up-the-business/ Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The equalization of accrued gains is due as a lump sum, but the value sits in the business. Deferral under § 1382 BGB and instalments protect liquidity. The property in the equalization: value, not the land register https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/property-in-the-equalization/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/property-in-the-equalization/ Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A property enters the accrued gains at its market value less encumbrances; half the house does not change owner. That applies to inherited property as well. How is a business valued in the equalization of accrued gains? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/valuing-a-business-in-the-equalization/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/valuing-a-business-in-the-equalization/ Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A business enters the equalization of accrued gains at its true value: valued on two cut-off dates, less a notional owner's salary. My divorce comes from abroad: does it apply in Germany? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/recognizing-a-foreign-divorce/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/recognizing-a-foreign-divorce/ Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A divorce from outside the EU takes effect in Germany only after formal recognition (§ 107 FamFG). Divorces from within the EU apply directly. Two countries would be possible: where should we file for divorce? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/which-country-should-we-file-in/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/which-country-should-we-file-in/ Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT With an international element, several states often have jurisdiction on an equal footing. Whoever files first fixes the court, and the court fixes the law. Under which law are we divorced: German or foreign? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/which-law-applies-to-the-divorce/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/which-law-applies-to-the-divorce/ Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The competent court and the applicable law are two different things. Rome III determines the divorce law, with a ladder of connecting factors. Does my divorce lawyer have to be based in my city? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-lawyer-different-city/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-lawyer-different-city/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your divorce lawyer does not have to be based in your city: every firm represents you before any family court in Germany. What your address really means. Can we divorce in Germany if we married abroad? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-after-marriage-abroad/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-after-marriage-abroad/ Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A marriage concluded abroad can be dissolved in Germany. What is decisive is the spouses' habitual residence; the place of the wedding does not count. Shared care in Frankfurt: when it fits https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/shared-care-model-frankfurt/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/shared-care-model-frankfurt/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT In the shared care model the child lives roughly in equal halves with both parents. When that serves the child's welfare, and what it means for maintenance. The divorce hearing: how it runs in court https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-hearing-what-happens/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-hearing-what-happens/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT What awaits you at the divorce hearing before the family court: appearing in person, the hearing itself and the road to a final decision. The property on separation: use, housing advantage and ownership https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/property-on-separation/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/property-on-separation/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Who owns the shared property, who keeps paying the loan and which routes there are: from a sale through a buy-out to a partition auction. Separation before the divorce: what applies at once https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/separation-before-divorce/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/separation-before-divorce/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT With the separation, rules of its own take effect immediately. What living apart means for maintenance, the home and tax, and what counts now. Travelling with children: which travel documents do I need? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/travelling-with-children-documents/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/travelling-with-children-documents/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT When you need the other parent's consent for a trip with your child, what belongs in a travel authorization and which identity papers are necessary. Divorce without a lawyer: or is one enough for both? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-without-a-lawyer/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/divorce-without-a-lawyer/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A divorce entirely without a lawyer does not exist in Germany: representation before the court is mandatory. When a single lawyer is enough and what you save. Online divorce or in person? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/online-divorce-or-in-person/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/online-divorce-or-in-person/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT An online divorce is not a separate procedure, only a digital way of handling it. What runs online, and why the court hearing remains. Year of separation: when can you file for divorce? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/year-of-separation-when-to-file/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/year-of-separation-when-to-file/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Only after the year of separation does the law presume the marriage has failed. When the year begins, when to file the application and which exceptions exist. How long does a divorce take? https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/how-long-does-a-divorce-take/ https://www.karcher-rechtsanwaelte.de/en/blog/how-long-does-a-divorce-take/ Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Four to twelve months on average. Which three factors decide the pace and what you can influence yourself.