Couples with a long history of marital relations prefer to divorce at the registry office

In Vitebsk, couples with a long history of marital relations prefer to divorce at the registry office, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by the civil registry offices of the three administrations of Vitebsk.

Belarusians gained the opportunity to dissolve marital ties, bypassing court procedures, on January 1 of this year, when amendments to the Code of Marriage and Family of Belarus came into force, providing for two methods of divorce: through court and at registry offices. Couples without common minor children and with no property claims against each other can now divorce at the registry office.

In Vitebsk, the three registry offices – Pervomaisky, Oktyabrsky, and Zheleznodorozhny – have accepted 79 joint divorce applications since January 1. Some couples have been married for six months or less, but the majority are those whose family life experience is measured in double digits. In one of the registry offices, two couples with a 35-year marital history decided to terminate their marital relations, while in another, parents filed for divorce a few days after their child turned 18.

As a rule, such couples explain their desire to divorce by the fact that they have raised their children and have not lived together for a long time. Registry office specialists noted: "These people have neither positive nor negative emotions towards each other, so it is very difficult to reconcile them."

And although anything can happen in life, registry office employees still hope that they will register more marriages and congratulate couples on their silver and golden anniversaries. By the way, since the beginning of the year, almost 300 marriage registration applications have been submitted to Vitebsk registry offices.

BELTA