If you're "marriage minded", then you should definitely set a firm time limit - like a year and make your partner know what your expectations are. But if you just want to be "casual" and non-commital, then you are getting what you want and the 10+ year live in relationship is the "end game". This should be considered the "desired goal" to have a stable committed relationship without the government interfering. After all, a lot of marriages don't even last that long and the reality is that "it lasts as long as it lasts" whether you get married or not.