3 Table of Contents List of Abbreviations .................................................................... 7 PART I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1. Demography ......................................................................... 8 2. Historical Background of Family Law................................................. 11 2.1. 1918 - 1949 ..................................................................... 11 2.2. 1949 - 1963 ..................................................................... 12 3. Sources of Family Law ............................................................... 14 3.1. Constitution .................................................................... 14 3.2. Legislation ...................................................................... 14 3.3. Treaties ........................................................................ 15 PART II. MARRIAGE 1. Marriage ............................................................................ 17 1.1. The Nature of Marriage ......................................................... 17 1.2. Engagement .................................................................... 17 1.3. Formalities of Marriage ......................................................... 18 1.3.1. Declarations ..................................................................... 18 1.3.2. Types of Marriage Solemnization ................................................ 19 A. Civil Wedding ............................................................... 20 B. Church Wedding ............................................................. 21 1.4. Void Marriage .................................................................. 22 1.4.1. Prior Marriage .................................................................. 23 1.4.2. Consanguinity ................................................................... 23 1.4.3. Marriageable Age................................................................ 24 1.4.4. Mental Disorder ................................................................. 24 1.4.5. Failure to Consent ............................................................... 25 A. Lack of free will.............................................................. 25 B. Error ........................................................................ 25 1.4.6. Effects of Declaring Marriage Null and Void ...................................... 26 1.5. Non-Existing Marriage ......................................................... 26 1.6. Effects of Marriage .............................................................. 27 1.6.1. Name ........................................................................... 27 1.6.2. Personal Rights and Duties of the Spouses ....................................... 28 1.6.3. Duty to Maintain ................................................................ 30 4 Czech Family Law 2. Property Relations between the Spouses. Joint Property of Spouses................... 31 2.1. Contemporary Concept of Matrimonial Property Law ........................... 31 2.2. Rise of Joint Property of Spouses ............................................... 32 2.3. The Legal Matrimonial Regime ................................................. 32 2.4. Conventional Matrimonial Regimes .............................................. 33 2.5. Extinction of the Joint Property of Spouses ..................................... 35 2.6. The Joint Property of Spouses Settlement ....................................... 35 2.6.1. Settlement upon the Agreement of the Spouses ................................... 36 2.6.2. Settlement upon a Court Ruling ................................................. 36 2.6.3. Settlement upon Presumption ................................................... 38 2.6.4. The Joint Property of Spouses Settlement by Probate Proceeding ................ 38 3. Divorce .............................................................................. 39 3.1. History ......................................................................... 39 3.1.1. 1918- 1949 ..................................................................... 39 3.1.2. 1950 - 1964 ..................................................................... 40 3.1.3. 1964 - 1989 ..................................................................... 41 3.2. Grounds for Divorce ............................................................ 42 3.2.1. Basic Regulation ................................................................ 42 3.2.2. Agreed Divorce .................................................................. 43 3.2.3. Hardening Clause................................................................ 45 3.3. Protection of Minor Children.................................................... 45 3.4. Procedure ...................................................................... 46 3.5. Effects .......................................................................... 47 3.5.1. Surname ........................................................................ 47 3.5.2. Property Relations .............................................................. 47 3.5.3. Duty to Maintain the Spouse Divorced ........................................... 47 PART III. FILIATION 1. General.............................................................................. 50 2. Motherhood ......................................................................... 51 3. Fatherhood .......................................................................... 52 3.1. Fatherhood of the Mother's Husband ............................................ 52 3.2. Affiliation by the Parents' Affirmation ........................................... 54 3.3. Affiliation by Court Ruling...................................................... 55 3.4. Paternity Denial by the High Public Prosecutor ................................. 56 4. Adoption ............................................................................ 58 4.1. General ......................................................................... 58 4.2. The Personality of an Adopter .................................................. 59 4.3. Adoptive Child ................................................................. 61 Table of Contents 5 4.4. Parental Consent to Adoption ................................................... 61 4.5. Adoption without Parental Consent ............................................. 62 4.5.1. Lack of Parental Interest ........................................................ 62 4.5.2. No Interest ...................................................................... 63 4.5.3. Consent to Adoption with no Relation to Prospective Adopters................... 63 4.6. Pre-adoption Care .............................................................. 64 4.7. Special Terms for Irrevocable Adoption .......................................... 65 5. Parental Responsibilities ............................................................. 67 5.1. General ......................................................................... 67 5.2. Child Care...................................................................... 69 5.2.1. One of the Parent's Custody ..................................................... 69 5.2.2. Alternating and Joint Custody................................................... 70 5.3. Representation of a Child ....................................................... 71 5.4. Administration of the Child's Estate ............................................ 71 5.5. Suspending, Restricting and Depriving of Parental Responsibilities............... 72 6. Name and Surname of the Child ..................................................... 74 6.1. Forename ....................................................................... 74 6.2. Surname........................................................................ 75 6.3. Change of Name and Surname .................................................. 75 6.3.1. Changing a Minor's Name or Surname under the Family Code ................... 75 6.3.2. Changing the Name or Surname under the Registries, Name and Surname Act ... 76 7. Mutual Maintenance Duty between Parents and Children............................. 78 7.1. Maintenance Duty of Parents to their Children .................................. 78 7.2. Maintenance Duty of Children to their Parents .................................. 80 8. The Rights of an Unmarried Mother toward her Child's Father ....................... 81 8.1. The Rights toward Father ....................................................... 81 8.2. The Rights towards Probable Father ............................................ 81 PART IV. CHILD IN RELATION TO OTHER PERSONS 1. Grandparents ........................................................................ 83 1.1. Contact ........................................................................ 83 1.2. Maintenance Duty between other Relatives ...................................... 84 2. Relations among Siblings ............................................................ 85 3. Foster Parents Care.................................................................. 86 3.1. General......................................................................... 86 3.2. The Personality of Foster Parent ................................................ 87 3.3. Relation of Foster Parent and the Child ......................................... 87 3.4. Collective (Group) Foster Care .................................................. 88 3.5. Foster Care Financing .......................................................... 88 6 Czech Family Law 3.6. Temporary Care (Pre-foster Care) .............................................. 89 3.7. Foster Care Extinction .......................................................... 89 4. Child's Custody by another Individual than Parents .................................. 90 PART V. GUARDIANSHIP AND CUSTODIANSHIP 1. Guardianship ........................................................................ 91 1.1. General ......................................................................... 91 1.2. Guardian's Personality .......................................................... 91 1.3. Guardian's Right and Duties .................................................... 92 1.4. Extinction of Guardianship ..................................................... 93 2. Custodianship ....................................................................... 95 2.1. General ......................................................................... 95 2.2. Special Custodian............................................................... 95 2.3. Custodian for Child's Estate Administration .................................... 96 2.4. Custodian in Cases of Restricted Parental Responsibilities ....................... 96 2.5. Custodian in Adoption Proceedings ............................................. 97 2.6. Custodian ad hoc ............................................................... 97 PART VI. SOCIO-LEGAL PROTECTION OF MINOR CHILDREN 1. General.............................................................................. 98 2. Child Care Orders ...................................................................100 3. Institutional and Protective Care.....................................................102 3.1. Institutional Care ...............................................................102 3.2. Protective Care .................................................................103