If there is an immediate danger, call the police on 192 or 112. Domestic violence is prohibited and is a criminal offence. This page explains which protection measures the law provides for and how the proceedings work.
What counts as domestic violence
Under the Family Act, domestic violence is behaviour by which one family member endangers the physical integrity, mental health or tranquillity of another family member. The law specifically lists inflicting or attempting to inflict bodily injury, causing fear by threatening to kill or injure, forcing sexual intercourse, restricting freedom of movement or communication with third parties, as well as insults and any other insolent, reckless and malicious behaviour. The Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence covers physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence.
Who counts as a family member
The law protects spouses and former spouses, unmarried partners and former partners, children, parents and other blood relatives, relatives by marriage and adoptive relatives, persons connected by foster care, persons who live or have lived in the same household, as well as persons who are in an emotional or sexual relationship or have a child together, even if they have never lived in the same household.
Reporting violence
Anyone who knows of domestic violence, or of an immediate danger of it, is obliged to report it without delay to the police or the public prosecutor. State bodies and institutions must report any knowledge of it without delay, and social work centres are obliged to recognise violence or the danger of it in their regular work.
Emergency police measures
When the competent police officer assesses that there is an immediate danger of violence, they may issue an order for the temporary removal of the perpetrator from the apartment and a temporary ban on contacting and approaching the victim. An emergency measure lasts 48 hours from the delivery of the order. If the public prosecutor assesses that the danger exists, they propose an extension of the measure to the court within 24 hours of the delivery of the order, and the court decides without a hearing within 24 hours of receiving the proposal. The court may extend the emergency measure for another 30 days.
Protection measures under the Family Act
The court may order one or more measures: an eviction order from the family apartment or house and an order to move into the family apartment or house (in both cases regardless of ownership or tenancy rights), a ban on approaching at a certain distance, a ban on access to the area around the place of residence or work, and a ban on further harassment. A measure can last up to one year at most, and it can be extended until the reasons for which it was ordered cease. The proceedings are started by a lawsuit, and a lawsuit for ordering or extending a measure may be filed by the family member against whom the violence was committed, their legal representative, the public prosecutor and the guardianship authority. The proceedings are particularly urgent: the first hearing is scheduled within eight days of receiving the lawsuit, and an appeal does not stay the enforcement of the judgment.
Criminal liability and compensation
Domestic violence is a criminal offence under Article 194 of the Criminal Code, and prosecution is carried out by the public prosecutor. The basic form is punishable by imprisonment from three months to three years, and stricter penalties are provided for more serious forms, for example the use of a weapon, serious injury, an offence against a minor or the death of a family member. A criminal offence is also committed by anyone who violates a protection measure against domestic violence ordered by the court. The victim is also entitled to compensation for the damage suffered.
Legal aid
A victim of domestic violence is entitled to free legal aid under a special law. A lawyer can help with preparing the report and the lawsuit for ordering a protection measure, and with representation before the court.
What is useful to keep
- medical documentation and photographs of injuries
- messages, emails and recordings relating to threats or harassment
- details of reports made to the police and other bodies
- the names of possible witnesses
Common questions
Note: This text is general information and is not legal advice for a specific case. It reflects the regulations at the time of the page's last update (October 2026). Assessing a particular situation requires reviewing the documents and circumstances of the case.
Related areas of law
Contact
For more information, you can contact the office by phone or email.