Adult status
Marriage, civil union, customary marriage, cohabitation and offence provisions.
Love crosses borders. Law does not move as easily.
The World Law Atlas separates adult relationship status, property, parentage, immigration, healthcare and reform. No country fits honestly into one simple legal-or-illegal label.
Concept artwork
Documented reality
Six starting points
These first guides use official government, legislation and court sources checked on 29 August 2026. They explain the present landscape and the lawful building blocks people may investigate with local professional advice.
OceaniaAustralia
De facto pathways, state-based parentage and a federal marriage framework.
Open guide
OceaniaNew Zealand
Dyadic adult status with relationship-property and care planning questions.
Open guide
North AmericaCanada
Federal criminal law, provincial family law and emerging multi-parent decisions.
Open guide
North AmericaUnited States
State-by-state variation, local multi-person registries and limited multi-parent routes.
Open guide
EuropeNetherlands
Dyadic status with active 2026 work towards three- and four-parent recognition.
Open guide
AfricaSouth Africa
Recognised customary polygyny and unusually flexible child-centred mechanisms.
Open guideNo current guide matches that search.
Every guide asks the same questions
Consistency makes country differences visible without pretending that private contracts reproduce marriage.
Home and resources
Property, inheritance, tax, contracts, pensions and what happens on exit.
Children
Parentage, parental responsibility, adoption, guardianship and child-centred orders.
Movement and care
Immigration sponsorship, healthcare authority and end-of-life decisions.
Important: the atlas is public legal information, not personal legal advice. Law changes, facts matter, and local language may carry meanings an English summary misses. Every guide shows its checked date, official sources, known gaps and next verification step.