With the Netherlands being the first country in the world to open civil marriage to same-sex couples, there has never been a better time to publish the first ever complete English translation of Dutch family law. This book gives the reader, academic and professional practitioner alike, an opportunity to take cognizance of this important field of law. Both the publisher and the translators hope that this book will find its way into the hands of the large number of non-Dutch speaking persons living in the Netherlands whose life is affected by the law, which until now was not readily accessible.This work, thanks to the translation of the rules of Private International Law in the field of family law, also provides lawyers, civil servants and consular officers with insight into the applicable rules in international cases. It is hoped that this work will also further contribute to the development of an international legal discourse on the development of family law in other jurisdictions, whilst allowing the comparison with the law as in force in the Netherlands on the 1st October 2003.