Khul under Personal Status Law No. 188
In everyday speech "khul" is often used for any request by a wife to end the marriage. Iraqi law, however, makes it a specific route with its own elements and places it in a separate chapter headed "optional separation (khul)". The office of lawyer Ali Barakat in Baghdad explains here what article 46 of Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959 says, and how khul differs from judicial separation.
What khul is and how it is concluded
Paragraph 1 of article 46 defines khul as lifting the marriage bond by the word khul or a word with the same meaning. It is concluded by offer and acceptance before the judge, subject to article 39. The reference to article 39 means that khul, like talaq, does not remain a private arrangement between the spouses: it is brought before the court, which records and registers it, and the marriage deed remains valid until the court annuls it.
Khul is therefore an agreement. The wife offers compensation, and the husband accepts lifting the marriage bond in return. Without the husband's acceptance there is no khul, and the wife's route is judicial separation where one of its grounds exists.
Conditions of validity
Paragraph 2 sets two conditions for a valid khul:
- The husband must be capable of pronouncing talaq. The cases in article 35 where talaq does not take effect, such as drunkenness, insanity, coercion and loss of discernment, also prevent a valid khul.
- The wife must be a proper subject of talaq, meaning the marriage subsists at the time of the khul.
Khul produces an irrevocable talaq. There is no return during the waiting period, and the spouses can only come back together by a new contract, unless the separation is a major irrevocable one.
Compensation: more or less than the dower
Paragraph 3 allows the husband to agree to khul for compensation greater or less than the wife's dower. The compensation may be a waiver of the deferred dower, a return of part of the prompt dower, or other property the parties agree on. Because the amount is left to them, what matters is that the compensation is stated clearly before the judge, including whether it covers accumulated maintenance or other rights, to avoid a later dispute. The dower and the effect of separation on it are explained on the prompt and deferred dower page.
Khul, judicial separation and talaq compared
- Talaq is pronounced by the husband at his will, is revocable or irrevocable under article 38, and is registered in court under article 39.
- Judicial separation is a judgment the court issues at the request of a spouse once a ground set by law is proved, even over the other spouse's objection, and counts as a minor irrevocable talaq under article 45.
- Khul is an agreement between the spouses before the judge in return for compensation. It does not require proof of harm or a ground, but it happens only with both spouses' consent.
Waiting period and maintenance after khul
A waiting period is due from the wife when separation of any kind happens after consummation, under article 47, and its length is set in article 48. Article 50 makes waiting-period maintenance owed by a living husband to his divorced wife, but in khul the parties often make that maintenance part of the compensation, so what was recorded before the judge governs. Maintenance is covered on the maintenance claim page.
Khul and custody
Article 46 contains no special rule on children, so giving up custody is not a necessary part of khul. Custody remains governed by article 57, which gives the mother priority unless the child is harmed by it and makes the child's interest the test in a dispute. If the spouses include arrangements for the children in their agreement, the court considers them in light of that interest. See the custody and visitation page.
Proxies in khul
Article 34 provides that a proxy is not recognised for pronouncing talaq, or for social research and arbitration. Because khul produces an irrevocable talaq and is concluded before the judge, the safer course is for both spouses to appear in person.
Legal basis and sources
Frequently asked questions
Can a wife obtain khul without her husband's consent?
No. Khul under article 46 is concluded by offer and acceptance, so it requires the husband's consent. If he refuses, the wife's route is judicial separation where a ground exists.
Is the compensation always the dower itself?
No. Under paragraph 3 it may be more or less than the dower.
Can the spouses reunite after khul?
Khul is an irrevocable talaq, so there is no return during the waiting period; reuniting requires a new contract.
Related topics and articles
- 01Judicial separation and its grounds before the Personal Status CourtGrounds for judicial separation under articles 40 to 45 of Iraq's Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959: harm, discord and arbitration, wife's grounds, and effect.
- 02Registering a divorce in court, and revocable versus irrevocable talaqRegistering talaq at the Personal Status Court under article 39 of Iraq's Law No. 188 of 1959, when talaq does not take effect, proxies, and article 38 types.
- 03Prompt and deferred dower (mahr)Dower rules in articles 19 to 22 of Iraq's Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959: named and proper dower, prompt and deferred parts, when the deferred part falls due.
- 04Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959: what applies todayReading Iraq's Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959 as amended: articles 1 and 2, Law No. 1 of 2025, and the Jaafari code ratified by Decision No. 10 of 2025.
- 05The maintenance claim: wife and children, increase and lossThe maintenance claim before the Personal Status Court under articles 23 to 33 and 58 to 63 of Iraq's Law No. 188 of 1959: scope, interim award, increase, loss.