| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act to make provision with respect to: divorce and separation; legal aid in connection with mediation in disputes relating to family matters; proceedings in cases where marriages have broken down; rights of occupation of certain domestic premises; prevention of molestation; the inclusion in certain orders under the Children Act 1989 of provisions about the occupation of a dwelling-house; the transfer of tenancies between spouses and persons who have lived together as husband and wife; and for connected purposes. |
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| Citation | 1996 c. 27 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales (except certain provisions) |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 4 July 1996 |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Family Law Act 1996 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Family Law Act 1996 (c. 27) is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom governing divorce law and marriage. The law intends to modernise divorce and to shift slightly towards "no fault" divorce from the fault-based approach of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. The main part of the act, dealing with divorce, was not proceeded with after pilot schemes found that it did not work well.[1]