How to get divorced in Puerto Rico: court or notary
The two grounds, the notarial divorce, the free OAT forms, and the $90 or $78 in stamps the Judiciary publishes.
August 14, 2026
Agency
Poder Judicial de Puerto Rico
The Judicial Branch: the Court of First Instance, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Divorce, custody, court-ordered child support and eviction cases are filed here, among others. It publishes official self-representation forms and per-topic orientation pages, and runs the Pro Se Centers.
Agency's official siteGuides related to this agency
How to request custody of a minor in court
Shared custody as the first alternative, the OAT forms, the $90 or $78 in stamps, and provisional and emergency custody.
August 14, 2026
How to request child support in court
Court or ASUME: the first forum you file in keeps the case. Free if you have custody and request support only.
August 14, 2026
Eviction in Puerto Rico: the full court process
Forcing someone out without a judgment is illegal. The $60 or $90 in stamps, the 5 days to appeal, and the protections for insolvent families.
August 14, 2026
How to claim money owed to you: Rule 60
The summary procedure for debts of $15,000 or less: $60 in stamps, form OAT 991 and a hearing within three months.
August 14, 2026
How to legally change your name or surname
The five documents from five agencies, the $78 in stamps, the 10-day prosecutor window and what to do afterwards.
August 14, 2026
Guardianship: how a guardian is appointed and what they can and cannot do
The four types of guardianship, the bond and its exemptions, and why the role does not begin until registration.
August 14, 2026
Moving or traveling outside Puerto Rico with your children
Taking them without permission can be treated as child abduction. The 30-day notice, the 20 days to answer, and what the court weighs.
August 14, 2026
How to adopt in Puerto Rico: requirements and court process
The three requirements, who can adopt, the Family Department’s REVA registry, and whether it is a petition or a complaint.
August 14, 2026
How to request a protection order without going to court
Requested online through the Electronic Court. Handled same day until 10:00 pm; outside those hours, go to the nearest police station.
August 14, 2026
What you can do in the Electronic Court without a lawyer
Six procedures for self-represented litigants, including contesting a ticket for $6.00 and requesting a courthouse wedding for $20.00.
August 14, 2026
If you cannot pay court fees: the indigency waiver
The in forma pauperis petition. The clerk takes the sworn statement free, and if granted you litigate as if you had paid.
August 14, 2026
Summons: how a lawsuit is served and who can do it
You have 120 days and you cannot serve it yourself. The rules by age, the sworn return, and waiver of service.
August 14, 2026
How to remove offenses from your criminal record
Misdemeanors are removed automatically after 30 days. Felonies go to court after five years, with witnesses and DNA.
August 14, 2026
How to find out if someone left a will, power of attorney or prenup
Three Judiciary registries, one same process: a form, $5.00 in stamps under Code 5120, and it can be requested by email.
August 14, 2026
How to get married at the courthouse in Puerto Rico
The clock: 14 days for the medical certification, 10 to return to the Registry and 10 to marry. The $30 and $20 paid separately.
August 14, 2026
Mental health crisis: temporary detention and involuntary commitment
Anyone over 18 can request it. It is not an arrest and does not affect the record. Outside hours, go to the nearest police station.
August 14, 2026
What filing a case costs: Puerto Rico court fees and stamps
The Judiciary’s official fee schedule: complaints, appeals, copies, weddings, service of process and marshal’s work.
August 14, 2026
Parental authority in Puerto Rico: what it is, when it ends and how it is limited
How it differs from custody and visitation, the duties it imposes, extended parental authority, and the standard of proof required to strip it.
August 14, 2026
Visitation in Puerto Rico: how to request or enforce time with your child
The OAT 1440 complaint, the $90.00 in stamps, the 30 days to answer, modification via OAT 1431, and contempt for non-compliance.
August 14, 2026
Stalking in Puerto Rico: what counts, and how to request a protection order
Ley 284-1999, the two-or-more-occasions pattern, who can request the order — the employer included — and the measures the court can impose.
August 14, 2026
Child abuse in Puerto Rico: where to report it and how to get a protection order
The Child Abuse Hotline at (787) 749-1333, what protects a reporter, and the Ley 57-2023 protection order a teacher, neighbour or relative can request.
August 14, 2026
Domestic violence in Puerto Rico: what Ley 54 covers and what you can ask the court for
The seven forms of violence Ley 54-1989 recognizes, the full list of protection-order remedies, and the escape plan.
August 14, 2026
Summoned for jury duty in Puerto Rico: what to do, what you are paid, and what happens if you skip it
The Bureau’s questionnaire, the five requirements, paid leave of up to 15 working days, the fine of no less than $500, and your job protection.
August 14, 2026
How to contest a traffic ticket in court in Puerto Rico
The Ley 22-2000 review petition: 30 days to file, 5 to notify the DTOP, $6.00 per ticket, and a hearing within 60 days.
August 14, 2026
Charged with a crime in Puerto Rico: the stages of the process and the rights that protect you
What happens after an arrest, the felony and misdemeanour stages, appointed counsel, and the six-month cap on preventive detention.
August 14, 2026
Bail in Puerto Rico: how to post it, how to lower it, and when it comes back
The four ways to post bail, the hearing to ask for a reduction, forfeiture for failing to appear, and why on appeal it stops being a right.
August 14, 2026
Victim and witness rights in Puerto Rico: where to go and what a summons means
The Ley 22-1988 Bill of Rights, the Justice Department office that provides the services, and what a summons means — contempt included if you skip it.
August 14, 2026
Your day in court in Puerto Rico: how to behave, when you speak, and what to do if you lose
The courtroom rules, what to do when called to testify, the order in which parties speak, and how to ask for reconsideration on the spot.
August 14, 2026
Free court-run mediation in Puerto Rico: settling without suing
Mediation Centers in all thirteen judicial regions — free, voluntary and confidential, in person or by videoconference.
August 14, 2026
When a minor has a case in Puerto Rico: how the Juvenile Court works
Not a criminal process, jurisdiction runs from 13 to 18, school incidents go through the school first, and the three dispositional measures.
August 14, 2026
Ley 140: the court’s fast track for neighbour, mechanic, wage and contractor disputes
Any adult can file, the hearing is set within no more than 5 days, and the outcome is a binding Provisional Statement of Right.
August 14, 2026
Exequátur: making an out-of-state or foreign judgment valid in Puerto Rico
The validity requirements, the two routes — $90.00 complaint or $78.00 ex parte petition — which court hears it, and what documents each case needs.
August 14, 2026
Protecting an older adult in Puerto Rico: protection order, support and criminal complaint
The three Ley 121-2019 remedies, who can seek them — anyone with an interest — and why breaching the order is a felony.
August 14, 2026
Puerto Rico Student Bill of Rights: what it protects and how to enforce it in court
It applies to public and private schools, covers ages 5 to 21, forbids asking about immigration status, and claims are filed through the Tribunal Electrónico.
August 14, 2026
Usucapión in Puerto Rico: acquiring property by possession, and getting the title
The four requirements, the terms that changed on 28 November 2020, and the declaratory action to register in the Property Registry.
August 14, 2026
Cyber violence in Puerto Rico: revenge porn, sextortion, grooming, and which law applies
The six forms by name, the laws that reach them, and the steps: document, assess safety, report.
August 14, 2026
Economic abuse in Puerto Rico: when the control is over your money and your job
The concrete list of acts Ley 54-1989 recognizes, the protection order’s financial remedies, and which documents to gather.
August 14, 2026
Sexual violence in Puerto Rico: what to do now, and how the law defines each offence
The immediate steps the Rape Victims Aid Center recommends, and the Penal Code definitions of sexual assault, lewd acts, sexual harassment and incest.
August 14, 2026
Human trafficking in Puerto Rico: how to spot it and where to call
The nine questions for identifying a possible victim, the penalties in Penal Code articles 159 and 160, and the two numbers for reporting.
August 14, 2026
Going to court without a lawyer in Puerto Rico: what self-representation requires, and what you will not be given
The four requirements, when to request it, why permission can be suspended, and the Pro Se Centers that guide you free of charge.
August 14, 2026
How Puerto Rico’s court system is organized, and who is who in the courtroom
The three levels and what each is for, why you do not testify at the Court of Appeals, and what each official you will meet does.
August 14, 2026
Puerto Rico court marshals: which orders they serve and when they knock on your door
The seven orders they carry out — from serving process to evictions — the Special Marshals Unit, and why they are the ones who attend the jury.
August 14, 2026
The Bill of Rights: what Puerto Rico’s Constitution guarantees you
The Bill of Rights sections explained, including the labour ones — eight-hour day, overtime, strikes and picketing — and the three statutory bills of rights.
August 14, 2026
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