It starts at the beginning: you meet someone special and the next step presents itself: moving in together or getting married. The location and scale of the wedding – whether it's an intimate ceremony in a southern Italian village or a large-scale event in the Netherlands – is often the subject of many conversations. Less discussed, but equally important from a legal perspective, is the matrimonial property regime.

This is the third blog in our series Living together in the Netherlands, in which we discuss the legal aspects of pension and inheritance law. Living together involves not only financial arrangements and property ownership, but also pension and inheritance issues. What happens to accrued pension rights in the event of divorce? And is one partner automatically entitled to the estate of his or her ex-partner in the event of death? This blog discusses the legal aspects of pension rights and inheritance law for married couples, registered partners and cohabiting partners.

This is the second blog in our series Living together in the Netherlands, in which we discuss property relations. In addition to financial obligations and alimony, property is an important aspect for cohabitants. What happens to jointly purchased goods or a shared home when the relationship ends? This blog discusses the legal aspects of property relationships for cohabitants and how they can protect themselves legally.

This is the first blog in our series Living together in the Netherlands, in which we discuss current trends and legal developments. More and more couples are choosing to live together without marriage or a registered partnership, but there are legal risks involved. In this series we will highlight the most important issues and pitfalls.