Divorce and legal separation: what differences?

All obligations between ex-spouses disappear.

Marriage is dissolved.

Marriage duties are maintained, except the duty to cohabit.

The marriage is not dissolved.

Maintenance under the duty of care may be paid during divorce proceedings.

After the divorce, the duty to help no longer exists.

Maintenance under duty of care may be paid during and after the legal separation procedure.

One of the ex-spouses may have a compensatory benefit.

Spouses cannot have a compensatory benefit.

The duty of cohabitation no longer exists.

The duty of cohabitation no longer exists.

Ex-spouses must liquidate their matrimonial property regime.

Married spouses under a community scheme must wind up the matrimonial property regime in order to adopt the separation of property regime.

Under this scheme, property purchased by only one of the spouses after legal separation is the personal property of the spouse. The property does not belong to the two spouses.

Each ex-husband loses the use of his ex-husband's name.

However, a former spouse may be authorized to retain the name of the other spouse in his or her usual name.

Each spouse retains the use of the other's name, unless the judge or the legal separation agreement decides otherwise.

The ex-spouses are no longer heirs to each other.

The separated husband remains the heir of his husband. However, in the case of legal separation by mutual consent, the spouses may waive their inheritance rights in their agreement.

Ex-spouses can marry again.

The spouses cannot marry.

Ex-spouses can do without.

The spouses can't do without.