More than 1,000 Romanian couples chose to divorce in Bucharest this year, taking the simpler, administrative route, which allows them to separate almost as simply as they got married.

Eleven times more couples chose to get married in Bucharest this year, until November 11, with most marriages recorded in the District 3 of the capital city.

Both when getting married, and when getting divorced via the administrative route, couples have to submit their papers at the Marriage House near the City Hall in the district where they live.

Romania introduced the administrative divorce in 2011, as an alternative to court proceedings, which involve lawyer costs, take too long to finalize, and overburden the courts. Romanians still have to go to court for divorce if they want to share assets or child custody. They can also chose to get divorced at a notary.

The administrative divorce at the City Hall costs RON 10 – but the tax can vary depending on what the respective city hall decides – and takes 30 days to complete, during which the couple can still change their mind. It then takes five more days to get the divorce certificate.

The number of administrative divorces in Bucharest however went down compared to 2012, when there were 1,375 such cases, and compared to 2011, the first year when it was possible to divorce quicker, when 1,580 administrative divorces were recorded

On the marriages front, in 2012, 11,551 couples chose to get married in Bucharest, and in 2011, a similar number, 11,800 marriages.

editor@romania-insider.com