In short
Chapter II of Title III fits in two articles, and both are built the same way: the registry first, and everything else if the registry fails. Article 396 says the celebration of the marriage is proved with the certified copy of the marriage certificate on record at the Registro Demográfico. That is the normal route. But it adds the sentence that solves many people’s real problem: if that has disappeared or no record of the inscription appears, any suitable evidence of the fact of the celebration is admissible. That is, the paper being lost, or the marriage never having been inscribed, neither undoes the marriage nor leaves anyone without a way to prove it. What the article does not do is tell you which evidence is suitable: it gives no list, no examples and no minimum. Article 397 does the same for marriages from elsewhere: a marriage celebrated in any state or territory of the United States or in a foreign country must be proved by presenting the certified records of the official registry or, in their absence, by any admissible means of proof. The structure repeats: the official registry of the place of celebration comes first, and when it is not there or cannot be obtained, the door opens to the other means. Nor does the Code say here which those are or before whom they are presented.
What is it?
It is Chapter II of Title III of Book Two of the Civil Code of 2020, Articles 396 and 397: what proves a marriage took place, here or elsewhere.
Who can do it?
Anyone who must establish a marriage and cannot find the certificate, or who married outside Puerto Rico.
Requirements
- The celebration is proved with the certified copy of the certificate on record at the Registro Demográfico.Verified against the official source
- If the certificate disappeared or no record of the inscription appears, any suitable evidence of the celebration is admissible.Verified against the official source
- A marriage celebrated in another U.S. state or territory, or abroad, is proved with the official registry’s certified records.Verified against the official source
- Absent those records, that marriage may be proved by any admissible means of proof.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Start at the Registro Demográfico
Article 396: the celebration is proved with the certified copy of the certificate on record there.
Step 2: If it is missing, you are not stuck
The same article opens to any suitable evidence of the fact of the celebration.
Step 3: Same if it was never inscribed
The article covers both: the certificate having disappeared, or no record of the inscription appearing.
Step 4: If you married elsewhere, find its registry
Article 397: certified records of the official registry of the state, territory or country of celebration.
Step 5: And if those are missing too
The same article admits it by any admissible means of proof.
Where to do it
These two articles describe no procedure before any agency. The Code does not say here what makes evidence suitable or admissible, gives no list or examples, and sets no minimum. It does not say before which forum that evidence is offered or in what kind of proceeding. And it does not say whether a marriage celebrated elsewhere must first be recognised or inscribed in Puerto Rico to take effect here. How to obtain the certified copy of the certificate at the Registro Demográfico is a procedure this site covers in a separate guide. None of those gaps is filled here.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
This chapter is short but it settles a frequent fear: that a marriage is lost because the paper was lost. Article 396 says the opposite. The certified copy of the certificate on record at the Registro Demográfico is the normal route, but if that copy has disappeared or if no record of the inscription appears, the article itself admits any suitable evidence of the fact of the celebration. Note it covers two situations, which are not the same: one is the document going missing, the other is the marriage never having been inscribed at all. In both, the Code looks at the fact and not at the paper. What it does not do is tell you which evidence works. There is no list, no examples and no minimum, so this guide invents none; the sensible course is to gather everything documenting the celebration and present it together. For marriages celebrated elsewhere, Article 397 repeats the same two-step shape: first the certified records of the official registry of the state, territory or country of celebration, and in their absence, any admissible means of proof. It is worth requesting those records from the foreign registry before giving up on the documentary route, because the article puts it first. And there is something this chapter does not answer and is worth keeping in mind: it does not say whether a marriage celebrated elsewhere must also be recognised or inscribed in Puerto Rico to produce effects here. That sits in other rules and is not read in these two articles. MiPRFácil does not represent anyone in court and gives no legal advice.
Common mistakes
- Believing there is no way to prove the marriage without the certificate: Article 396 admits any suitable evidence.
- Thinking the rule covers only a lost certificate: it also covers no record of the inscription appearing.
- Looking in the article for the list of evidence that works: it gives no list or examples.
- Treating a marriage from elsewhere as proved without the official registry’s records, which come first.
- Giving up if the foreign registry lacks them: Article 397 then opens to any admissible means.
- Confusing proving the marriage with obtaining the certificate: different things, separate procedure.
- Expecting these articles to say before which forum the evidence is offered: they do not.
- Assuming the Code settles here whether a marriage from elsewhere must be inscribed in Puerto Rico: it does not.
Frequently asked questions
The certificate is lost. May I prove I married?
Yes. Article 396 admits any suitable evidence of the fact of the celebration when the certificate has disappeared.
My marriage was never inscribed. What now?
The same article covers it: if no record of the inscription appears, any suitable evidence is admitted.
How do I prove a marriage celebrated elsewhere?
Article 397 asks for the official registry’s certified records and, absent those, any admissible means of proof.
What evidence counts as suitable?
The Code does not define it or give a list in these articles, and none is invented here.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Poder Judicial de Puerto Rico
Poder Judicial
bvirtualogp.pr.gov
Last verified
September 12, 2026
MiPRFácil is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Government of Puerto Rico or any government agency.
MiPRFácil does not submit applications on your behalf.
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