How to register an emancipation with the Demographic Registry

The Demographic Registry defines emancipation as the grant made to a minor enabling them to govern their person and property as if they were of legal age. On its page about the topic, the Registry notes that majority begins at twenty-one years of age, and that a person of legal age is capable of all acts of civil life, except for exceptions established by law in special cases. The Registry also lists the classes of emancipation recognized in Article 232 of the Civil Code (31 LPRA sec. 901): by grant of the father or mother exercising parental authority; by marriage; by judicial grant; by deed before a notary; by sworn statement; and by reaching majority.

This process is the recording of an emancipation already granted, not the process for obtaining one. How it is obtained depends on the class of emancipation: some arise from a grant by whoever exercises parental authority, others from a deed before a notary, others from a judicial grant, and others from marriage. What the Demographic Registry requires in all cases is the document by which the emancipation is granted. If your case requires a judicial grant, that is handled in court and it is worth consulting an attorney; the Registry publishes no such procedure.

• Having the document by which the emancipation is granted, and bringing it in certified copy and plain copy.Verified against the official source
• Presenting current photo identification issued by the government of your state or country of residence. The Registry names a driver license, a passport or a state ID; foreign nationals must present a current passport, visa or residence card.Verified against the official source
• If the minor was born outside Puerto Rico, presenting their birth certificate.Verified against the official source
• Bringing two internal revenue stamps of $20.00 each.Verified against the official source
• Going to the Central Office: the Registry states this process is carried out only at the Central Office, Metro Center, Calle Mayagüez #5, San Juan, PR 00910.Verified against the official source

• The document granting the emancipation: certified copy and plain copy.
• Current photo identification: driver license, passport or state ID.
• The minor’s birth certificate, if they were born outside Puerto Rico.
• Two internal revenue stamps of $20.00 each.

1. 1

   Step 1: Identify which class of emancipation applies

   The Registry lists six, citing Article 232 of the Civil Code: by grant of the father or mother exercising parental authority, by marriage, by judicial grant, by deed before a notary, by sworn statement, and by reaching majority. Which one applies determines what document you will bring to the Registry, because that document is what grants the emancipation.

2. 2

   Step 2: Get the granting document, in two formats

   The Registry asks for the document granting the emancipation in certified copy and plain copy. It is both, not one: the certified copy is what proves it, and the plain copy is normally what the file keeps. Get both before you go.

3. 3

   Step 3: If the minor was born outside Puerto Rico, add their birth certificate

   This is a specific condition the Registry flags separately. If the birth was in Puerto Rico, the Registry already has the entry; if it was elsewhere, it must be supplied. That certificate may come from another jurisdiction and have its own processing time, so it is worth starting early.

4. 4

   Step 4: Buy the two $20.00 stamps

   The Registry specifies them as two internal revenue stamps of $20.00 each. Request them that way at the collector’s office, rather than a single stamp for the total.

5. 5

   Step 5: Go to the Central Office in San Juan

   Like other special Registry procedures, this one is not done at a local office: the Registry states the process is carried out only at the Central Office, Metro Center, Calle Mayagüez #5, San Juan, PR 00910.

Only at the Demographic Registry’s Central Office: Metro Center, Calle Mayagüez #5, San Juan, PR 00910.

• Going to the Registry expecting the emancipation to be granted there, when what the Registry does is record it once granted.
• Bringing only the certified copy of the document, when certified copy and plain copy are both required.
• Buying a single $40.00 stamp instead of the two $20.00 stamps the Registry lists.
• Going to a local Demographic Registry office, when this process is carried out only at the Central Office in San Juan.
• Forgetting the minor’s birth certificate when they were born outside Puerto Rico.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico

  Salud

  www.salud.pr.gov

• Demographic Registry — vital event certifications

  Departamento de Salud

  www.salud.pr.gov