Relationship Agreement for shared life and cohabiting (common law) couples
We highly recommend arranging a formal relationship agreement when you are in a relationship with an Israeli partner.
A relationship agreement not only regulates financial affairs, but also covers the status of your and your partner’s children or children from previous relationships, separation and divorce. A relationship agreement ensures that all these topics and other issues can be handled in a fair and respectful manner.
A relationship agreement is a contract made between a couple, married or not married (“cohabiting/common law”). The couple can be living together or separately, and can enter into such an agreement whether they have children or not, and whether they have common property or separate accounts.
The agreement is made by mutual will and understanding, and refers to the relationship between the couple and various aspects of their shared life. It can establish conditions regarding previous property (acquired before the beginning of the couple’s relationship), property purchased by the couple in the future, children of the couple (or those from a previous relationship), custody of the children, child and spouse support, caring for the children, the children’s education, common/separate living arrangements, use of property of the spouses (for example, a residential apartment or renting an apartment to someone), corporations (companies, partnerships) of one of the partners (management and related rights), bank accounts, savings, vehicles, and more.
Relationship agreements have become widely used in Israel, and if written by a lawyer specializing in the relevant fields (contract law, family law and the Ministry of Interior), it can serve as an important document in forming and maintaining the relationship between the couple.
An agreement that is written incorrectly could be a stumbling block and a significant setback in the eyes of the Ministry of Interior during its examination of a couple’s relationship.
An agreement approved by a notary is legally valid and is of great value as proof of the relationship between the couple (even if they are not married, and even if they are of the same gender).
Attorney and notary Ram Schachter has formulated and validated many relationship agreements and successfully submitted them to the Ministry of Interior. He has also successfully used them in various courts as proof of a relationship when applying to receive status (citizenship) in Israel.
