How to request an ASUME certification
What ASUME certifies, the difference between the individual and employer certifications, and how to reach the official system.
August 12, 2026
Family
Child support, custody and family-related procedures.
158 guides
How to file a paternity recognition in Puerto Rico
The Demographic Registry process, and why doing it within 90 days costs $20.00 instead of $35.00.
August 13, 2026
How to file a legitimation when parents marry after the birth
The Demographic Registry process, the $10.00 stamp, and when Form RD-232 is also required.
August 13, 2026
How to register an emancipation with the Demographic Registry
What documents the Registry asks for, the two $20.00 stamps, and why it is only done at the Central Office.
August 13, 2026
How to register an adoption with Puerto Rico’s Demographic Registry
The four scenarios the law contemplates, what happens to the original record, and who can see the prior data.
August 13, 2026
How to enroll your child in Head Start or Early Head Start
The ages each ACUDEN programme covers, who has priority, what documents enrollment requires, when recruitment happens, and how selection works.
August 16, 2026
Prospera: support for people 60 or over, from their adult children
ASUME’s Prospera programme lets older adults seek support from their adult descendants, through administrative mediation or the court.
August 16, 2026
ADFAN services for older adults and adults with disabilities
The Family Department’s Adult Services Programme: homemaker help, substitute care, counseling and protection against abuse. Who qualifies and where to ask.
August 16, 2026
Declaration of heirs: what it is and the two routes to request it
When someone dies without a will, the declaration establishes who inherits. Since Act 282-1999 it can be processed before a notary or the court: you choose.
August 16, 2026
How to make a will in Puerto Rico
The 2020 Civil Code’s kinds of will, who may execute one, and the rule that changed: with forced heirs you may freely dispose of half.
August 16, 2026
Prenuptial agreements and the marital property regime
Under the 2020 Code you may agree to separation of property before marrying or during the marriage. It must be by public deed and registered.
August 16, 2026
How to gift property during your lifetime (and when it can be revoked)
Gifting real property requires a public deed under penalty of radical nullity, the recipient must accept while both are alive, and only six causes allow revocation.
August 16, 2026
Virtual visitation: what the court may order and what does not count
The court may order video calls and allocate their cost. That cost is not considered when setting support, and virtual contact does not replace in-person.
August 23, 2026
Informal caregiver: registry, respite and when you can be paid
Act 82-2023 gives rights to those caring for a relative unpaid: training, respite, emergency priority, and a route to being hired as an incidental caregiver.
August 23, 2026
Elder care home: how to request an inspection and what they must have
Any adult can ask the Department of the Family to inspect an elderly establishment. They have 15 days to corroborate, and there is someone to turn to if they do not.
August 23, 2026
Youth athletes: 18 rights you can cite to the coach
Act 28-2019 gives rights to every athlete aged 4 to 18: training without physical overload, playing as a child not an adult, and participating by their own choice.
August 26, 2026
When a government retiree dies: the spouse and children’s pension
Act 105-1969 gives the surviving spouse and minor or incapacitated children 60% — or 50% — of the annuity the retiree received, in equal shares.
August 23, 2026
Child Care: how to ask for help with your children’s care
There is no form and no online application: you join a waiting list, and you can do it by phone or at any regional office.
August 13, 2026
Complaint over an older adult’s rights (OPPEA)
The Office can order corrective action, investigate on its own initiative and inspect. And there is an Ombudsman for care homes.
August 14, 2026
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
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
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
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 26, 2026
Another adult takes your child to the doctor: the authorization that makes it possible
Act 139-2019 lets you authorize non-urgent medical treatment in advance so your child is seen without you present. It lasts up to a year.
August 24, 2026
Reporting an older person living in inhumane conditions
Act 126-2013 requires Familia or ASSMCA on site within 24 hours of the referral, and says years in that state does not justify waiting days.
August 24, 2026
Minors in money-making digital content: the 30% and the 50%
Act 193-2026 requires reserving 30% of income in an account in the minor’s name, or 50% if they appear principally, with rights at age 21.
August 26, 2026
Grandparents' and aunts'/uncles' right to request visits with a minor
If a parent or guardian objects, a grandparent or aunt/uncle can go to court to request a relationship with the minor, under Article 619A of the Civil Code.
August 26, 2026
Donated car seat program: how to request one or hand in yours
If you cannot buy a car seat, a Fire Bureau and Traffic Safety Commission program collects, screens and hands them out.
August 27, 2026
Threatening or harming an older adult's pet is abuse
Since Act 79-2026, using an older person's dog or cat to control them counts as intimidation and abuse under their Bill of Rights.
August 27, 2026
Children’s homes: priority for having services restored
Act 166-2026 classifies residential establishments with seven or more minors as critical facilities, alongside hospitals and nursing homes.
August 27, 2026
Loss before 20 weeks: your right to request the remains
Act 42-2026 lets the mother or father request the remains for burial or cremation. The hospital is obliged to coordinate the delivery.
August 27, 2026
Temporary guardian for an older adult: the judge can appoint one
Act 87-2026 lets the judge appoint a temporary guardian in the same protection order when an accident or medical condition puts the adult at risk.
August 27, 2026
Youth coach licence: a substance test is now required
Act 59-2026 adds to the coach licence evidence of a negative controlled-substance test, paid for by the applicant.
August 28, 2026
How to know if your child’s camp is licensed
Since Act 163-2016 camps are licensed by Recreation and Sports, not Family. The licence is displayed, the register is public and a family can request an inspection.
August 30, 2026
Sports fees when the court was given for free
Act 81-2021 bars sports organisations using a public facility for free from charging fees to poor or low-income participants.
August 30, 2026
Support through ASUME: the route without court
ASUME can set, modify and collect support administratively. You have 20 days to appear, 30 if you live outside Puerto Rico.
August 30, 2026
What ASUME can do to collect from you
Wage withholding from day one, credit reporting after 10 days, licences and passport over $5,000, and the lottery prize they will not pay you.
August 30, 2026
Care vouchers for school-age children
Act 266-2000 creates vouchers of up to $200 a month per family for extended-hours care of school-age children, and they can stack with other aid.
August 30, 2026
Day care for public employees
Act 84-1999 obliges every Puerto Rico government agency to have a day care centre for its employees’ preschool children. The one who sets the fee is your own agency.
August 31, 2026
Day care in your public housing complex
Act 283-2003 requires a day care centre in public housing built new since 2004. Whoever proves low income pays nothing for the service.
August 31, 2026
Support from adult children to an older parent
Adult descendants must contribute to an older adult’s support. The Act sets eight factors, allows non-economic contributions, and the duty survives a care home.
August 31, 2026
Requesting support for an older adult
The request counts if made by phone or by visiting the local office. Then comes voluntary mediation, and the agreement is only reviewable after three years.
August 31, 2026
Your child’s day-care centre licence
It must be displayed, lasts two years and is non-transferable. Inspections come quarterly and a public register shows its status.
September 3, 2026
The Children’s Bill of Rights: the 27 rights
Act 338-1998 recognises twenty-seven rights for every child in Puerto Rico from birth to twenty-one.
September 3, 2026
How many children per adult a childcare centre may have
The Regulation 8860 table: 1:5 for infants, 1:8 for toddlers, 1:12 for preschoolers and 1:15 for extended hours.
September 3, 2026
Declaring a missing person absent
A year without news, a court, and someone left in charge of their accounts and debts until they turn up.
September 7, 2026
From provisional possession to the absentee’s presumed death
Three years to enter possession, ten to ask for presumed death, and four to claim if they return.
September 7, 2026
Declaring a death when the body is not found
In a catastrophic event there is no need to declare absence first, and the court may declare the death with no body.
September 7, 2026
Who stays in the house after the divorce
Preferential attribution divides ownership; the right to remain lets you live there. Two different things, and both can be asked for.
September 7, 2026
Divorced but not liquidated: the post-ganancial community
Half and half until it is liquidated, with a credit for the community if one uses common money to buy something.
September 7, 2026
Who owes support to whom in your family
Spouses, ascendants, descendants and siblings owe each other, in that order and with rules of their own.
September 7, 2026
The support obligation: how much, when, how it changes and when it ends
Owed from the complaint, paid in the first ten days of the month, and not reduced without judicial authorization.
September 7, 2026
An inheritance can be debts alone: the Code says so in those words
Article 1552 says the inheritance comprises rights and obligations even where obligations exceed rights, or where there are only obligations.
September 10, 2026
Who may inherit and the six causes that forfeit an inheritance
Article 1556 of the Civil Code of 2020 lists six causes of unworthiness to inherit. Only two of the six require the person to be convicted.
September 10, 2026
A pardon of an unworthy heir is irrevocable, and the action lapses after four years
Articles 1559 to 1561 of the Civil Code of 2020: what the unworthy heir returns, how the decedent may rehabilitate them, and when the four years start running.
September 10, 2026
Who looks after the estate while nobody has accepted the inheritance
Article 1563 of the Civil Code of 2020 sets four rungs in order: the decedent’s designee, the executor, those called to succeed and, absent agreement, the court.
September 10, 2026
Pregnant by the decedent: the right to be maintained at the estate’s charge
Article 1566 of the Civil Code of 2020 sets two limits: it may not exceed the posthumous child’s share, and it is restored if the child is not the decedent’s.
September 10, 2026
Accepting or repudiating an inheritance cannot be partial, timed or conditional
Article 1573 of the Civil Code of 2020 forbids it, and 1571 adds that acceptance and repudiation are unilateral and irrevocable acts.
September 10, 2026
If the court sets you a term and you do not answer, the inheritance is taken as accepted
Article 1578 of the Civil Code of 2020 lets any interested person request that term 30 days after the delación, and silence does not repudiate: it accepts.
September 10, 2026
Repudiating an inheritance is valid only by public deed or a writing to the court
Article 1583 of the Civil Code of 2020 gives only those two routes. Accepting does admit a private document; repudiating does not.
September 10, 2026
An heir answers only up to the value of what they receive, with two exceptions
Article 1587 of the Civil Code of 2020 sets that cap. Article 1588 breaks it if you pay unmatured debts with estate goods or damage them by your fault.
September 11, 2026
The funeral, the inventory and the executor’s pay come out of the estate
Article 1589 of the Civil Code of 2020 lists six hereditary charges, and the sixth leaves the list open: the other expenses of an analogous nature.
September 11, 2026
Accepting an inheritance does not mix your goods with the decedent’s
Article 1590 of the Civil Code of 2020 says the confusion of patrimonies does not occur, and 1591 lets the heir oppose the attachment of their own goods.
September 11, 2026
Claiming an inheritance never lapses, but goods can still be lost to usucapión
Article 1593 of the Civil Code of 2020 says both in one line: the action is imprescriptible, without prejudice to the usucapión of particular goods.
September 11, 2026
The apparent heir’s acts fall only if both he and the third party acted in bad faith
Article 1596 of the Civil Code of 2020 uses “and”, not “or”: bad faith on both sides is needed for an act of administration to fail.
September 11, 2026
Income from inherited goods belongs to the estate until there is a partition
Article 1603 of the Civil Code of 2020 says so, and 1600 adds that the hereditary community has no juridical personality.
September 11, 2026
You sell your quota without permission; a specific good needs every heir
Article 1604 of the Civil Code of 2020 separates the two, and 1605 gives co-heirs thirty days of tanteo if the buyer is a stranger.
September 11, 2026
A testator may forbid dividing for four years; the heirs may renew it
Article 1607 of the Civil Code of 2020 gives the testator a four-year cap that does not reach the legítima. Article 1608 lets the heirs renew theirs.
September 11, 2026
If your parent died before the grandparent, you inherit in their place, by estirpes
Article 1611 of the Civil Code of 2020 allows it in testate and intestate succession, and 1614 limits what you receive to what your represented would get.
September 11, 2026
If another heir does not take their share, yours grows and you cannot refuse it
Article 1616 of the Civil Code of 2020 says the right of accretion is irrenunciable, and that it yields to the right of representation when that applies.
September 11, 2026
If you have forced heirs, you may freely dispose of only half your goods
Article 1623 of the Civil Code of 2020 says so. And 1622 names the forced heirs: descendants, surviving spouse and, failing these, ascendants.
September 11, 2026
If the widowed spouse’s share falls short of the house, the gap comes from the free half
Article 1625 of the Civil Code of 2020 grants a lifetime, free right of habitation and charges that gap to the decedent’s free-disposition share.
September 11, 2026
Conditions placed on your forced share are held as not placed
Article 1626 of the Civil Code of 2020 calls an encumbrance any charge, condition, term, mode, usufruct, obligation, prohibition or limitation.
September 11, 2026
Leaving a child out of the will does not void it: it re-divides the forced share
Article 1629 of the Civil Code of 2020 says preterition does not annul the institution of heir and entails dividing the legítima among all the forced heirs.
September 11, 2026
Disinheriting requires naming the cause in the will, and the heir bears the proof
Article 1632 of the Civil Code of 2020 requires the disinheritance and its cause to appear expressly and clearly. Challenging it lapses after two years.
September 11, 2026
With no will, the children and the spouse inherit in equal parts
Article 1721 of the Civil Code of 2020 says so, and 1719 opens intestate succession also when the will is ineffective or insufficient.
September 11, 2026
If one parent cannot or will not inherit, the estate passes entirely to the other
Article 1723 of the Civil Code of 2020 says so. Ascendants inherit only failing descendants AND a surviving spouse.
September 11, 2026
Siblings and nephews inherit before other relatives, and the limit is the sixth degree
Article 1725 of the Civil Code of 2020 calls siblings and nephews the preferred collaterals. Article 1726 closes private succession at the sixth degree.
September 11, 2026
With no heirs, the estate goes to the University Fund after a judicial declaration
Article 1727 of the Civil Code of 2020 so orders, with two exceptions: agricultural land and property declared a public nuisance.
September 11, 2026
If several executors are named without saying how they act, joint action is presumed
Article 1735 of the Civil Code of 2020 sets that presumption, and 1729 bars the person declared unworthy and the disinherited from the office.
September 11, 2026
An albacea may not sell estate goods unless the testator authorised it
Article 1741 of the Civil Code of 2020 leaves two routes without that authorisation: the heirs’ unanimous consent or judicial authorisation.
September 11, 2026
A creditor with written title may request an administrator be named for the estate
Article 1744 of the Civil Code of 2020 allows it, alongside the albacea, the forced heirs and the heirs or legatees.
September 11, 2026
The albacea or administrator must request a contador partidor once debts are covered
Article 1749 of the Civil Code of 2020 uses “must”, not “may”, and conditions that duty on the debts and administration expenses having been satisfied.
September 11, 2026
The office is voluntary, yet staying silent fifteen days after being asked accepts it
Article 1750 of the Civil Code of 2020 calls the office of executor voluntary and 1751 creates a legal acceptance by the passing of fifteen days.
September 11, 2026
If minors are among the interested parties, the executor’s bond shrinks but does not vanish
Article 1757 of the Civil Code of 2020 lets the majority exempt the executor, but the bond must be proportional to the interest of minors or incapacitated persons.
September 11, 2026
An executor’s pay may not exceed ten per cent of the rents or the net product
Article 1761 of the Civil Code of 2020 sets that cap and lets the will, the heirs’ agreement or, failing those, the court fix it.
September 11, 2026
A will cannot exempt an executor from accounting: the clause is held as not written
Article 1767 of the Civil Code of 2020 says so, and requires quarterly written accounts plus a final account three months after the charge ends.
September 11, 2026
Resigning the office without just cause costs the share or legacy, never the legítima
Article 1770 of the Civil Code of 2020 sets that penalty and marks its exact limit. Article 1771 lists five just causes to remove an executor.
September 11, 2026
If the will contradicts itself, the dividing clause wins; in a separate act, it loses
Article 1778 of the Civil Code of 2020 reverses the rule depending on where the partition was written: inside the will or in a separate act.
September 11, 2026
Once the partition is made, a creditor may claim everything from a single heir
Article 1786 of the Civil Code of 2020 allows it up to the value that heir receives; 1785 lets creditors halt the partition.
September 11, 2026
What was left is valued today; what was given away, at the price back then
Article 1787 of the Civil Code of 2020 uses two different valuation dates in one calculation, and 1788 removes gifts older than ten years.
September 11, 2026
What you already got comes out of your legitime first, not the free half
Article 1789 of the Civil Code of 2020 imputes to the legitime what a forced heir received; 1790 sends a stranger’s gift to the free half.
September 11, 2026
The most recent gift is the first to fall
Article 1792 of the Civil Code of 2020 reduces lifetime gifts from the most recent date back to the most remote, and 1791 shuts the creditor out.
September 11, 2026
If a coheir is insolvent, even the victim pays part of their own indemnity
Article 1799 of the Civil Code of 2020 spreads the insolvent’s share among the rest, including the one who must be indemnified.
September 11, 2026
If you sold your share of the inheritance, you lose the right to attack the partition
Article 1805 of the Civil Code of 2020 closes these actions to anyone who alienated all their participation or a considerable part of it.
September 11, 2026
A will that names no heirs is still valid
Article 1660 of the Civil Code of 2020 says so in one sentence, and 1663 splits in equal parts when no shares were set.
September 11, 2026
The ban does not stop at the caregiver: it reaches their family and their church
Article 1662 of the Civil Code of 2020 extends the ban to the fourth degree of consanguinity, the second of affinity, and the clergy member’s institution.
September 11, 2026
A false reason in the will does not knock down the inheritance
Article 1664 of the Civil Code of 2020 annuls the designation only if the will itself reveals two things at once, and deletes an illicit motive.
September 11, 2026
Transmission, substitution and accretion: the Code ranks them in that order
Article 1671 of the Civil Code of 2020 settles it in one sentence, and 1668 extends the substitute to the case the testator did not foresee.
September 11, 2026
Someone else may choose who, but never how much or whether it happens
Article 1672 of the Civil Code of 2020 allows entrusting the choice; 1673 forbids leaving the gift’s subsistence and amount to a third party.
September 11, 2026
An impossible or illegal condition is deleted and the inheritance stays
Article 1676 of the Civil Code of 2020 considers it not written: the condition falls, not the designation of heir or legatee.
September 12, 2026
Forbidding marriage in a will does not hold; limiting a right’s duration does
Article 1677 of the Civil Code of 2020 deletes the condition of not marrying in its first paragraph and saves a list of four rights in the second.
September 12, 2026
If the will forbids you something, you collect now and post a bond
Article 1680 of the Civil Code of 2020 does not make you wait a lifetime: you receive the inheritance by bonding that you will not do the forbidden thing.
September 12, 2026
Until the date arrives someone else inherits, and touches nothing without inventory and bond
Article 1683 of the Civil Code of 2020 calls the legitimate heir meanwhile, and requires inventory and bond with the instituted person taking part.
September 12, 2026
A charge attached to an inheritance is not a condition: you receive now and owe after
Article 1685 of the Civil Code of 2020 treats it as a modal obligation unless another intent appears, and 1686 makes the heir’s right immediate.
September 12, 2026
A legacy must be asked for: you cannot take the thing on your own
Article 1691 of the Civil Code of 2020 makes the legatee ask the heir or albacea for delivery, and 1692 forbids substituting the thing.
September 12, 2026
Left something that was not theirs: valid if the testator knew, and proving it is on you
Article 1693 of the Civil Code of 2020 puts the burden of proof on the legatee, and 1695 leaves the mortgage on the legated thing to them.
September 12, 2026
If they forgave the debt and then sued you, the forgiveness falls
Article 1697 of the Civil Code of 2020 voids a legacy of credit or condonation when the testator files suit after making the will.
September 12, 2026
A generic movable holds even if there is none; an undetermined property, only if there is
Article 1700 of the Civil Code of 2020 treats movables and immovables in opposite ways, and leaves the choice to the heir.
September 12, 2026
A pension left in a will is paid in advance, and a begun period is never returned
Article 1705 of the Civil Code of 2020 lets the first payment be demanded from the testator’s death and requires no return of a begun period.
September 12, 2026
If they sold the thing they left you, buying it back does not revive the legacy
Article 1707 of the Civil Code of 2020 keeps the legacy forceless even if the thing returns to the testator, unless reacquired by pacto de retroventa.
September 12, 2026
Not saying a formality was met does not void a will; not meeting it does
Article 1708 of the Civil Code of 2020 saves the will when it can be shown the requirement was met even if not stated.
September 12, 2026
A torn holographic will is presumed destroyed by whoever was keeping it
Article 1715 of the Civil Code of 2020 calls tearing up a holographic will real revocation, and presumes whoever held it destroyed it.
September 12, 2026
Divorcing erases what you left your spouse, without touching the will
Article 1714 of the Civil Code of 2020 revokes only the dispositions favouring the spouse if at the testator’s death a divorce is decreed or nullity declared.
September 12, 2026
Revoking the will that revoked does not resurrect the first one
Article 1716 of the Civil Code of 2020 restores the earlier will’s effect only when the testator expressly says so.
September 12, 2026
Divorce ends kinship by affinity with your former spouse’s family
Article 368 of the Civil Code of 2020 says dissolving the marriage ends kinship by affinity, save where the law provides otherwise.
September 12, 2026
In the collateral line you climb to the common trunk and then count back down
Article 374 of the Civil Code of 2020 counts one grade per generation up to the common ancestor and one per generation coming back down.
September 12, 2026
The Code imposes no wait between a dissolved marriage and the next one
Article 383 of the Civil Code of 2020 leaves former spouses fit to formalise a new marriage once the tie is dissolved by any cause.
September 12, 2026
The exam result cannot block the wedding; hiding it vitiates consent
Article 388 of the Civil Code of 2020 bars using the medical certificate to deny the licence, and 386 makes concealment a defect of consent.
September 12, 2026
If the certificate is gone, any suitable evidence proves the celebration
Article 396 of the Civil Code of 2020 admits any suitable evidence of the celebration when the certificate or inscription cannot be found.
September 12, 2026
Neither spouse may claim to represent the other without express permission
Article 402 of the Civil Code of 2020 requires representation between spouses to be expressly conferred, by judicial authority or by law.
September 12, 2026
The action to declare a marriage null is imprescriptible: it never expires
Article 405 of the Civil Code of 2020 makes the nullity action imprescriptible, and 404 opens it to anyone with a legitimate interest.
September 12, 2026
Continuing marital life after the cause ceases confirms the marriage
Article 411 of the Civil Code of 2020 treats the union as confirmed when the entitled spouse continues marital life after the cause ceases.
September 12, 2026
A null marriage contracted in good faith produces all its effects until the judgment
Article 412 of the Civil Code of 2020 keeps the marriage’s effects for the good-faith spouse until the nullity judgment becomes firm.
September 12, 2026
The dissolution does not prejudice good-faith third parties until it is inscribed
Article 418 of the Civil Code of 2020 requires noting the dissolution in the margin of the marriage inscription and makes it opposable only from then.
September 13, 2026
Filing the petition cuts off the ganancial character of what each then acquires
Article 426 of the Civil Code of 2020 ends the common character of goods from the filing of the petition and revokes mandates between spouses.
September 13, 2026
The individual-petition judgment does not describe the conduct behind the divorce
Article 434 of the Civil Code of 2020 dissolves the tie without describing the specific conduct behind an individual petition for irreparable rupture.
September 13, 2026
The absentee reappearing does not revive a marital tie already dissolved
Article 438 of the Civil Code of 2020 says the absentee’s reappearance does not revive the dissolved tie, even if the absence was involuntary.
September 13, 2026
A spouse who serves as guardian may not seek divorce until the guardianship closes
Article 442 of the Civil Code of 2020 bars the guardian spouse from seeking divorce from their ward until the guardianship ends and final accounts are rendered.
September 13, 2026
The court may forbid taking the children out of Puerto Rico while the case lasts
Article 446 of the Civil Code of 2020 allows forbidding moving the children out of Puerto Rico and protecting their health plan during the dissolution process.
September 13, 2026
From the day of filing, neither may encumber or sell the common goods alone
Article 455 of the Civil Code of 2020 bars disposing of common goods without the other spouse’s consent or prior judicial authorisation from the filing date.
September 13, 2026
Maintenance orders are not suspended while their validity is challenged
Article 458 of the Civil Code of 2020 admits no interruption or suspension of care and maintenance measures while the challenging recourse is pending.
September 13, 2026
Only fraudulent conduct sets aside a divorce judgment
Article 470 of the Civil Code of 2020 rules out challenging the judgment for procedural defects that are not an intentional act to defraud.
September 13, 2026
Living with another person extinguishes the pension the ex-spouse pays
Article 468 of the Civil Code of 2020 extinguishes the ex-spouse’s pension on remarriage or on establishing a relationship of cohabitation with another person.
September 13, 2026
To divorce before a notary, one of the two must have resided a year in Puerto Rico
Article 473 of the Civil Code of 2020 dissolves the marriage by public deed if, on granting it, at least one spouse resided in Puerto Rico the preceding year.
September 13, 2026
You may grant the divorce dividing nothing, but then the children’s matters go to court
Article 474 of the Civil Code of 2020 allows the divorce deed without liquidating gananciales or stipulating on the minors, and requires filing the action in court.
September 13, 2026
If there is an incapacitated person, the divorce cannot be granted by public deed
Article 475 of the Civil Code of 2020 closes the notarial route when there are incapacitated persons, and gives the notary ten days to notify.
September 13, 2026
Even under separation of property, both spouses’ goods answer for the family charges
Article 492 of the Civil Code of 2020 subjects both spouses’ goods to the lifting of the marriage and family charges, independently of the régime.
September 13, 2026
Giving away a common good without the other spouse is void; selling it is only annullable
Article 495 of the Civil Code of 2020 voids gratuitous acts over common goods done without the other spouse’s consent, save the customary modest gifts.
September 13, 2026
What you inherit or are given during the marriage is yours and does not enter the community
Article 509 of the Civil Code of 2020 makes gratuitously acquired goods separate property during the society, whether by donation, legacy or inheritance.
September 13, 2026
The fruits of a separate good are community property even though the good stays one spouse’s
Article 513 of the Civil Code of 2020 makes ganancial the fruits produced both by privative goods and by common and ganancial ones.
September 13, 2026
The right to a retirement pension is separate property, but the monthly payments are community
Article 515 of the Civil Code of 2020 makes the right to a retirement pension separate and the periodic payments received during the society community property.
September 13, 2026
Paying for separate property with common money does not make it common: it creates a credit
Article 511 of the Civil Code of 2020 keeps the privative character even if paid with common funds, and gives the society a credit for the value paid.
September 13, 2026
The marriage’s goods are presumed community property until the contrary is proved
Article 519 of the Civil Code of 2020 presumes the marriage’s goods ganancial while it is not proved they belong privatively to either spouse.
September 13, 2026
A spouse contracting alone is presumed to act with the other’s consent
Article 521 of the Civil Code of 2020 presumes the spouse contracting certain debts acts with the other’s consent, while the contrary is not proved.
September 13, 2026
A fine for a personal act is not paid by the common estate, unless there is nothing else
Article 522 of the Civil Code of 2020 excludes pre-society debts and fines for personal acts from the common estate, allowing only subsidiary recourse.
September 13, 2026
If the gambling is compulsive, the gambler answers with their own goods
Article 523 of the Civil Code of 2020 takes the common estate off what is lost and unpaid when a disorder compelling compulsive gambling is shown.
September 13, 2026
If your partner unjustifiably refuses to sign, you may ask the court for assistance
Article 526 of the Civil Code of 2020 allows demanding judicial assistance when a spouse cannot give consent or unjustifiably refuses.
September 13, 2026
Selling a community good requires the written consent of both spouses
Article 527 of the Civil Code of 2020 requires both spouses’ written consent to dispose of ganancial goods for value, voiding the act absent timely ratification.
September 13, 2026
Only two causes end the community property régime, and separating in fact is not one
Article 532 of the Civil Code of 2020 ends the sociedad de gananciales by the marriage’s dissolution or nullity, or by agreeing a different economic régime.
September 13, 2026
Deterioration of a separate immovable used by the family is never payable
Article 535 of the Civil Code of 2020 credits deterioration of privative movables used for the society’s benefit, but excludes that of immovables.
September 13, 2026
When liquidating the community, support debts are paid before all others
Article 536 of the Civil Code of 2020 orders the society’s debts paid once the inventory is finished, and gives preference to support debts.
September 13, 2026
What is divided by half is the remainder, not the gross of the common goods
Article 539 of the Civil Code of 2020 divides by half the remainder left in the inventoried estate after all the preceding deductions.
September 13, 2026
You may ask to be adjudicated the business you ran, as far as your half reaches
Article 541 of the Civil Code of 2020 includes the business you attended particularly and exclusively with preference in your ganancial share.
September 13, 2026
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