Classic and alternative types of marriage unions in the Russian Federation

Civil

The most popular type, which legally received its name “Civil”, is also called official, secular or legal. This marriage union of the bride and groom is registered in the registry office; it is the only one recognized by Russian legislation, regulated by the Family Code of the Russian Federation, and therefore protected from the point of view of jurisprudence.

Each of the legal spouses has equal rights and certain responsibilities in the family, which are enshrined in law. The law also regulates property relations between husband and wife.

After the official marriage, the newlyweds become each other's primary heirs.

Many call it a civil union of lovers who live together, but without stamps in their passports. If we consider this issue from the side of jurisprudence, then this is a misconception and such a marriage is called another type - factual, which we will talk about below.

By the way, in the 19th century they registered exclusively in the church - performing a spiritual rite before God, but the marriage of those who did not do this was called civil.

Termination

In life, it often happens that people who once upon a time loved each other very much and started a family suddenly grow cold or start relationships on the side. In this case, the other half cannot come to its senses and decides to break off the relationship. But if there are children in the family, then the termination of the marriage will be possible only by going to court. Unless, of course, the other spouse is imprisoned for a period of more than three years, because in such a situation the presence of children is not an obstacle to divorce in the registry office.

Also, if the issue of raising children and paying alimony has already been resolved and there are no disputes, then the spouse who wants to end the marital relationship can apply to the magistrate’s court. There, such cases are considered within a month. The court also has the right to give the spouses a period of up to three months for reconciliation. And if this does not happen, the marriage will be dissolved.

In the event that a husband and wife cannot reach a consensus and resolve the issue of with whom the child will live, this issue must be resolved in the district court. Guardianship authorities must be present here to give their opinion.

The dissolution of the union in the registry office occurs when there are no common small children and disputes about property. If one of the spouses does not want to end the relationship, the divorce takes place in the magistrate's court, which makes its decision.

Marriage and family as concepts are inextricably linked, therefore, when the integrity of the first is violated, the second begins to collapse. Nevertheless, people should try to strengthen their relationships and save their families. After all, they got married in order to be together and love each other.

Actual

In principle, this view is very similar to the previous one. Boy and girl in love also:

• live in the same territory;
• have common views and goals;
• live together;
• make purchases;
• call each other husband and wife;
• They can even raise children together.

But their relationship is not officially registered in the registry office, which means in the eyes of the law they are not spouses. Sometimes such unions are also called cohabitation.

De facto marriages are gaining popularity among the younger generation. Modern people do not consider it necessary to put stamps in passports for a number of reasons. For example, many are afraid of responsibility, are unsure of their partner, or simply want to test their feelings. And some people don’t even see the point in a wedding without children.

It is worth knowing that a man and woman in the unofficial status of husband and wife are not legally protected in any way. After all, according to the law, they not only have no responsibilities, but also no rights. This applies to both property and inheritance.

It is possible to receive inherited capital in the event of the death of one of the “spouses” only if there is a will.

Conditions

So, in order to get married, the definition of which we gave above, you must comply with all the requirements established by the UK. The main conditions here are:

• voluntary consent of people;
• a certain age (18 years).

Otherwise, it will be impossible to conclude a formal alliance. Family relationships registered in the registry office are marriage. The definition of the concept is perceived at the everyday level. Marriage is considered a free will between two people, based on mutual respect and love. It is meant to create a new unit of society and have children. Otherwise, the union may be considered fictitious.

Church

As mentioned above, in ancient times only church marriages were recognized; they were considered the only official ones. This spiritual ceremony is performed by a clergyman in a temple or cathedral.

In the modern world, getting married is not at all necessary. After all, according to the Russian Constitution, the Church is separated from the state, which means that this marriage has no legal force and is not protected in any way.

If a couple still wants to get married, then there are certain rules and first you will need to obtain a certificate of registration from the registry office. But there are exceptions, and many priests agree to perform the ceremony without a stamp in the passport. After all, for believers, the most important union is the one made in heaven.

Non-classical types of family relationships

The classic form of marriage between a man and a woman, regardless of whether it is civil or de facto, is correct and generally accepted in family organization. But there are also non-traditional alternative types, most of which can be classified as prohibited unions, since many of them are legally and morally impossible to officially register. Their peculiarity is the atypical and non-standard behavior of people. These include:

1. Guest or it can also be called visiting. These relations are legal, because they are formalized in the registry office. But after the wedding the couple does not live together. Spouses meet only occasionally, spend time together, go on dates and even fly on vacation, but do not maintain a common household. The most important advantage of these unions is that lovers do not argue over everyday problems, and due to rare meetings they do not lose passion for each other. The downside of a guest marriage is the not entirely correct upbringing of children. After all, the child will mainly live with one of the parents. This type of marriage can often be found when one of the lovers is forced to constantly go on long business trips or tours. It also happens that people need to live in different cities or even countries.

2. Same-sex, the most ambiguous type, is a marriage between two men or two women. As everyone knows, in the Russian Federation such unions are strictly prohibited; moreover, they cause censure and condemnation from others. But in 18 states people of the same sex have been registered for a long time. Among them: Norway, Canada, Brazil, Denmark, France, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, USA.

3. Polygyny or polygyny is most common among Muslims, for example, in Syria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria. There the guy officially gets married to several girls. On the territory of our country, the law prohibits polygyny; it can be found only in some corners where Islam is practiced. Most often, Russian men marry one woman, and live in a de facto marriage with several more representatives of the fair sex; roughly speaking, they have mistresses.

4. A fictitious marriage or a marriage of convenience is legal, because it is registered by mutual consent of both parties in the registry office, but with a selfish goal, for example, obtaining citizenship. In such relationships, spouses do not even think about creating a real family. Very often the unions in question meet with foreigners. In Russia this is not criminally punishable, but if it is proven, it can be annulled.

5. Another alternative type is an open or free marriage, which, in turn, can be civil or de facto, that is, official or without stamps in passports. Spouses live together under one roof, lead a common life, and the peculiarity is that each of them has other connections on the side. This position may be explained by a lack of new sensations, or people simply do not know how to be faithful to their chosen one.

6. Virgin or, in the Western style, “Childfree” - a legal or actual relationship, without the presence of children. We are not talking here about couples who are postponing childbearing due to their young age, lack of financial resources, or for medical reasons. These are lovers who deliberately do not want to have a child. If we look at statistics, then with age, many spouses still change their opinion on this issue.

7. Another rather unclassical type that few will understand is group marriages or, in other words, the “Swedish family”. Of course, relationships consisting of several men and women are prohibited from being registered on the territory of the Russian Federation. But, interestingly, the Swedish family has been practiced by people since primitive times.

8. Morganatic - consists of two people of unequal status and position in society. They were concluded in ancient times in royal dynasties, but these days they are not very relevant.

9. The concubinative type of marital ties is the relationship of a married man with another lady, with whom he has a child. The offspring born in such a union is officially recognized by the father and is financially provided by him.
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10. Polyandry or polyandry. As you might guess, it’s the same polygamy, only in reverse. In this case, a woman has several official husbands. They are not registered in Russia, but they are common in India, Nepal and Tibet.

11. And the last type is called trial. Everything is simple here, young people live together, and when they come to a joint decision to have a child, they officially get married.

What types of marriages exist in the world: varieties and their characteristics

In different countries, the concept of marriage, other than the traditional legal one, is interpreted differently. Depending on the legal framework and public opinion, there are different types of marriage unions.

Guest

This is an interesting form of marriage when the relationship is formalized, as required by law. But at the same time, husband and wife do not live in the same living space; their meetings are periodic.

This is something like dating, spouses have the opportunity to experience the joy of mutual presence. There is no obligation here, no claims that someone should do something but does not want to. Functions are distributed randomly.

Meeting by mutual desire, as if coming to visit, the spouses feel like lovers who do not overshadow each other’s lives with everyday worries and everyday problems. The thrill of meetings and romanticism without the routine of everyday life is what this type of marriage is built for.

One might argue that such relationships have no future, but any marriage can break up. The guest type of family is the choice of adult, self-sufficient people who have no reason for conflicts and scandalous clarifications about who is to blame, that the dog made a puddle and that the dishes were unwashed.

But not everything is so rosy, there are also disadvantages:

• children raised in this form of relationship between mom and dad receive a one-sided upbringing and do not have the opportunity to gain the experience of creating a normal family;
• problems in the distribution of the couple's funds.

This type of family union is partially justified if the spouses live in different cities or one of the couple is engaged in show business.

Same-sex

Legal relationships between a woman and a woman or between two men are not yet possible in Russia, but in a number of countries around the world society is ready to accept this type of marriage with understanding.

The number of countries where the conclusion of same-sex unions is legal is at least 18 in 2021, including Germany, Japan, Great Britain, etc. But there are also such forms of legal same-sex relationships as civil partnerships and unions.

For example, in Austria, Switzerland and a number of other countries, restrictions are established at the legislative level for such families with regard to the adoption of children, artificial insemination, the use of surrogacy, etc. In parts of Mexico and Costa Rica, for example, the status of such couples generally debatable.

Thematic

This type of relationship a priori does not accept equality, since it assumes the dominance of the upper partner over the lower one, in all spheres, and especially in the sexual one.
To many ordinary people, this type of family will seem identical to sexual perversion. If in the “topic” there is only one of the couple, and the other is an adherent of the traditional state of affairs, then there can be no talk of mutual understanding and happy coexistence. In a thematic marriage, both spouses should be prone to sadomasochism to one degree or another, to playful forms of sex with the use of violence.

These same relationships of dominance, the primacy of one partner over the other, are transferred to all other areas of family life. After the birth of children, it is not always possible to keep the secret of the “theme”; the excessive passion for the dominant position of one and the servile position of the other spouse no longer suit the partners, and the thematic marriage falls apart.

If a couple’s games on the topic do not go beyond the boundaries and do not cause protest from one of the couple, then this is only their choice, and no one should care about the form of family relationships. The problem is that violence and the demand for total submission of the slave (slave) becomes a system, which will lead to a breakdown of psychology and rebellion of the subordinate.

Polygyny (polygamy)

In a number of Muslim countries, a man has the right to legally have several wives, and the law is most lenient towards polygamy, with virtually no restrictions, in the following countries:

• Afghanistan;
• UAE;
• Saudi Arabia.

It is interesting that in such families all children have equal rights, which cannot be said about wives. The rigid framework of lack of rights for Arab women is familiar and often does not even cause indignation. Obstinacy is punishable here. Many Muslim men are happy to exercise their right and choose a younger and younger wife each time.

Historically established Muslim laws are incomprehensible and unacceptable for modern people in Europe and the USA, but this is a fact that we have to put up with.

Documents for submitting an application to the registry office

• two passports – for men and women;
• paid state duty, which currently amounts to 350 rubles;
• statement from both parties.

For more information about what is needed to submit documents to the registry office, as well as how to submit an application online, read the links.

As a result, we can say that the family is the main unit of human society. There are quite a few different types, and only the people themselves decide which marriage they prefer. If we talk about the majority, Russian residents still prefer the legal civil option, considering its most important advantage - the proper upbringing of children in such official marriage bonds.