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Family relationships

Issues in play when you're living together or getting married.

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Marriage agreements and cohabitation agreements

Marriage agreements and cohabitation agreements

Not all relationships last forever. But the law can help. A marriage agreement or cohabitation agreement can set out how couples will deal with issues that come up if their relationship ends. These types of agreements can also cover what will happen during their relationship. Learn more about these agreements.

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Woman at table signing paperwork attached to a clipboard
Changing your name

Changing your name

If you’re getting married or divorced, you may be thinking about changing your legal name. Or maybe you just feel like changing your name. Learn what’s involved in a name change.

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Couple with daughter cycling along forest path
Adoption of a child

Adoption of a child

Adoption can be a happy event for two families. But first there are legal matters to take care of — the transfer of parental rights and responsibilities for a child from one family to another. Learn what’s involved in adopting a child or placing a child for adoption.

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Daughter hugging her adopted mother
Adoption registries

Adoption registries

Adoption registries and reunion services can help adopted people and their relatives reconnect. Learn how British Columbia’s adoption registries work.

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We are grateful to work on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, whose Peoples continue to live on and care for these lands.