The short and honest answer: no, not necessarily. You are free to try and construct a divorce plan by yourselves. However, in most of those cases, we see emotions turning into frustrations – that is why we start with taking a step back. Forget the details, you have us to take care of that. Let’s look at your wishes, how do you see yourselves moving forward? Your plan should be about that. And while you focus on the future of how the two of you remain in contact (especially when there are children involved), we can turn your preferences into a reasonable and legal plan of action. Free of frustrations.

For settling separation, divorce mediation is a standard practice in the Netherlands. The premise of mediation is that partners can settle their separation through discussion and compromise rather than a lengthy (and costly) process via the courts involving lawyers. Especially when children are involved it is considered best practice to provide stable grounds for you to become functioning co-parents. To guide this discussion, a mediator is a neutral third party.

A divorce mediator works towards a common ground to meet the interest of both parties, whereas a divorce lawyer tends to be less impartial. A lawyer takes on a legal point of view, just like a mediator, but a mediator also looks at the emotional, financial, fiscal and practical parts of your plan.

Ask yourself the question: What do you want? Someone who fights for your rights or someone who brings balance? Divorce law is open for many forms of agreement; you probably want one that suits both of you best.

There’s a lot coming at you, in a time that is already stressful in itself. This is exactly why you need a mediator. Couples think the first step is making inventories who has what, who gets what. We will get to that point, but it shouldn’t be the start of your journey towards a divorce. Step one is stepping into our office to get to know us. We will take it from there, together with you.

We have a roadmap that can give you an idea of the process, which can be found here.

Just as there is no single divorce plan that suits all, there is no single answer to this question. Costs start at about 1500 euros per person. The advantage of RED mediation, is that we can provide all documentation in English. This saves you the added costs of translation, which can easily add up to an extra 1500 euros. Plus, with our extensive experience with expats, we are sensitive to the cultural differences often causing roadblocks in the communication: we can facilitate conversations on a native level in both Dutch and English. This is actually more important than you might think at first. Having a mediator that has the vocabulary to keep up with the flow of the conversation, means that you can focus on the things at hand.

At RED mediation your divorce process will be faster and smoother due to increased cultural awareness, which ultimately saves expenses. Plus, we are sensitive of what you are spending and always make our costs reasonable and transparent.

Simply said: because we know expat divorce mediation like no other. We have our roots in the English language, can adequately explain to you the complexities of the Dutch legal system, have a network that can help overcome any obstacle and work cost effectively. But those are merely the basic benefits of what we offer. We also add value to your process with an array of soft skills. Understanding people, being aware of cultural differences, remaining objective and bringing you closer to each other – that’s what we excel at. You have started your journey together with mutual respect. The ending shouldn’t be anything less than that.