Following the recent overhaul of divorce law in Cyprus, it has also been announced that as of 1 May 2023, notifications of the spiritual dissolution of religious marriages, previously given by letter to the competent bishop, will now be done electronically at https://pnevmatikilysi.cy.net/. From that date onwards, any notification not made electronically will not be accepted and will thus be deemed invalid. This amendment aims to make the notification process easier, faster, and more efficient.
With the submission of the notification electronically, all
interested parties will instantly receive a message and email
notifying them of the filing of the application, as well as a
confirmation which is required for the court proceedings.
Thereafter, the parties will receive another message inviting them
to attend a session with a designated clergyman to attempt
reconciliation. If the attempted reconciliation fails, or if the
parties decide not to attend the session, a relevant certificate is
issued, which is then filed with the Family Court.
Included in the recent divorce law amendments, was the reduction of
the post-notification waiting period from 3 months to 6 weeks;
therefore at present, separating couples or one of the individuals
involved, need only wait 6 weeks after the electronic notification
is sent, before filing for divorce. It is noted that if the reason
for the parties' divorce is irretrievable breakdown due to
domestic violence against the applicant or against a child, the
notification requirement is disapplied and the spouse can proceed
directly with the filing of a divorce application with the Court,
provided that a complaint regarding the incident has been lodged
with the police or social welfare services, and that the relevant
authority has issued a certificate reflecting this.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
