In short
An obligation is the juridical bond of patrimonial character by virtue of which the debtor has the duty to perform a prestation consisting in giving, doing or not doing something for the creditor’s benefit, who in turn has a credit right to demand performance. The prestation that is its object must be susceptible of economic valuation and must correspond to a patrimonial or extrapatrimonial interest: two distinct requirements, and both are needed. The Code imposes good faith on both parties, not only the debtor: both debtor and creditor must act in good faith in performing the obligation. And it lists six sources of obligations: the law, contracts, quasi-contracts, unlawful acts, acts or omissions involving fault or negligence, and any other act apt to produce them under the legal order; that last entry leaves the list open. There is also a surprising rule worth knowing before paying anything doubtful: a person who performs a prestation knowing they are not legally bound cannot demand its restitution. And all rights acquired under an obligation are transferable, subject to the laws, if nothing else was agreed.
What is it?
It is Chapter I of Title I of Book Four of the Civil Code of 2020, Articles 1060 to 1065. It opens the book on obligations, the one that governs everyday contracts and debts.
Who can do it?
It applies to every obligation, whatever its source. The prestation must be susceptible of economic valuation and correspond to a patrimonial or extrapatrimonial interest.
Requirements
- That the prestation consist in giving, doing or not doing something for the creditor’s benefit.Verified against the official source
- That the prestation be susceptible of economic valuation.Verified against the official source
- That it correspond to a patrimonial or extrapatrimonial interest.Verified against the official source
- That both debtor and creditor act in good faith in performing it.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: The definition, and the three shapes it can take
Article 1060 defines it as the juridical bond of patrimonial character by virtue of which the debtor has the duty to perform a prestation consisting in giving, doing or not doing something for the creditor’s benefit, who in turn has a credit right to demand performance. Giving, doing or not doing: not every obligation is handing over money.
Step 2: Two requirements on the prestation, not one
Article 1061 puts them together: the prestation that is the obligation’s object must be susceptible of economic valuation and must correspond to a patrimonial or extrapatrimonial interest. The second is the interesting one: the protected interest need not be economic even though the prestation must be capable of valuation.
Step 3: Good faith binds the creditor too
Article 1062 says it in a line many read only half of: both debtor and creditor must act in good faith in performing the obligation. It is not only a duty of the one who owes.
Step 4: Where they come from: six sources, and the list stays open
Article 1063 enumerates them: the law; contracts; quasi-contracts; unlawful acts; acts or omissions involving fault or negligence; and any other act apt to produce them under the legal order. That sixth entry is what stops the list being read as closed.
Step 5: If you pay knowing you did not owe it, you do not get it back
Article 1064, under the heading of judicially unenforceable obligations, says it flatly: a person who performs a prestation knowing they are not legally bound cannot demand its restitution. The word carrying the weight is "knowing".
Step 6: The rights arising from an obligation can be assigned
Article 1065 allows it by default: all rights acquired under an obligation are transferable, subject to the laws, if nothing else was agreed. If you do not want your counterparty assigning their credit, it has to be agreed.
Step 7: How far this guide goes
This is the opening chapter of Book Four, which continues with the classes of obligations, performance, breach, contracts in general and each named contract. This guide covers only Articles 1060 to 1065. Nothing here states what any particular contract requires.
Where to do it
These are substantive rules applying between the parties and before the Court of First Instance. The Civil Code designates no agency to administer them.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
If you are looking for what a particular contract requires — a sale, a lease, a loan — this does not answer that: this chapter only opens the book. If your debt comes from an accident or harm, the source is an act or omission involving fault or negligence, which Article 1063 names but does not develop here. If what you want to know is whether your debt has prescribed, we have a separate guide on that. This guide does not cover the rest of Book Four, nor the rules on quasi-contracts or on acts involving fault or negligence: we did not read them for this guide. The Code publishes no cost and no term, so this guide gives none. MiPRFácil does not represent anyone in court and gives no legal advice.
Common mistakes
- Believing every obligation is paying money: the prestation may be giving, doing or not doing.
- Thinking good faith is required only of the debtor: Article 1062 binds the creditor too.
- Reading the six sources as a closed list: the sixth entry leaves it open.
- Paying something knowing it is not owed and counting on claiming it back later.
- Assuming the other party’s credit cannot be assigned: by default it can, absent agreement otherwise.
- Requiring the protected interest to be economic: it may be patrimonial or extrapatrimonial, though the prestation must be capable of valuation.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is an obligation?
The juridical bond of patrimonial character by which the debtor has the duty to perform a prestation — giving, doing or not doing something — for the creditor’s benefit, who has a credit right to demand performance.
Where can they come from?
From six sources: the law, contracts, quasi-contracts, unlawful acts, acts or omissions involving fault or negligence, and any other act apt to produce them under the legal order.
I paid something I did not owe — do I get it back?
If you did it knowing you were not legally bound, no: Article 1064 does not allow demanding its restitution. The key word is "knowing".
Can what is owed to me be sold or assigned?
By default yes. All rights acquired under an obligation are transferable, subject to the laws, if nothing else was agreed.
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 8, 2026
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