Judicial separation is a legal procedure very similar to divorce. The one big difference is that you are not entitled to re-marry at the end of it, and you might not be able to sort out all financial issues. However, this can be a good solution if you do not want to divorce, for instance for religious reasons.
If you are not ready for any form of court proceedings, you can still enter into a separation deed. Both you and your husband, wife or civil partner would have to agree on the terms of the deed (which can be as broad as you wish). The deed would not stop a court making different provisions (for example as to finances or children) if you later divorced or dissolved your civil partnership - but it would be good evidence of what you had both agreed to earlier.
What are judicial separation and separation deeds?
