Shared Custody Agreement Chile (Acuerdo de Guarda y Custodia Compartida)

A Shared Custody Agreement Chile (Acuerdo de Guarda y Custodia Compartida) is a formal legal document governed by Código Civil Article 225 — as comprehensively reformed by Ley N° 20.680 of 21 June 2013 — and the family procedure provisions of Ley N° 19.968 of 2004 on Tribunales de Familia, through which separated, divorced, or never-married parents of minor children formally agree on the division of physical custody (cuidado personal compartido or cuidado personal alternado) and parental decision-making authority (patria potestad compartida) for their children. The agreement is the primary Chilean legal instrument for implementing the principle of co-parenting (parentalidad activa compartida) following parental separation.

Ley N° 20.680 represented a landmark reform of Chilean family law, introducing the explicit recognition of shared custody (cuidado personal compartido) as a legally available arrangement — previously, the Código Civil defaulted to maternal custody in non-agreement situations. The reformed CC Article 225 establishes the principle that both parents may agree on shared custody in writing before a Notario Público, an Oficial del Registro Civil, or submitted directly to the Tribunal de Familia for judicial approval (homologación judicial). Absent agreement, Article 225 inciso 3 preserves the maternal preference presumption (preferencia materna) as a fallback — though the Tribunal de Familia may deviate from this presumption when the best interest of the child (interés superior del niño) so requires, as established by jurisprudencia of the Corte de Apelaciones and Corte Suprema de Chile.

The agreement regulates two analytically distinct legal concepts in Chilean family law: (1) cuidado personal (physical custody — the right and obligation to have the child live with and under the direct daily care of a parent); and (2) patria potestad (parental authority — the legal representation of the minor, administration of the minor's assets, and legal decision-making capacity on behalf of the child, governed by CC Articles 243–268). Under CC Article 225 as amended by Ley 20.680, joint patria potestad (patria potestad conjunta) is the default for married or AUC parents and may be agreed upon by separated parents — allowing both parents to co-sign for school enrollment, medical procedures, passport applications, and asset management decisions affecting the child.

Ley N° 19.968 Article 8 N° 1 grants exclusive jurisdiction over custody and parental authority disputes to the Tribunal de Familia. A custody agreement reached by the parents, once approved (homologado) by the Tribunal de Familia or executed before a Notario Público or Oficial del Registro Civil under CC Article 225 inciso 2, has the legal force of a judicial resolution (fuerza de sentencia judicial) and is directly enforceable through the Juzgado de Familia's compliance procedures (cumplimiento de resoluciones) under Ley 19.968 Article 13.

Ley N° 21.430 of 2022 on the comprehensive protection of children's rights strengthened the shared custody framework by requiring that custody and visitation determinations explicitly document the child's participation (derecho del niño a ser oído) under Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CIDN), ratified by Chile through Decreto Supremo N° 830 of 1990, and the assessment of the child's best interests under the CIDN Committee's General Comment N° 14 (2013). The Tribunal de Familia must actively consider the child's views in all custody proceedings involving children capable of forming views — typically from age five or six in Chilean judicial practice.

A Shared Custody Agreement Chile is required in the following specific situations arising under Código Civil Article 225 and Ley N° 19.968:

Parental Separation or Divorce: When married parents separate or divorce — whether through mutual agreement divorce (divorcio de común acuerdo under Ley N° 19.947 de matrimonio civil Article 55 inciso 1°) or contested divorce (divorcio contencioso) — a custody agreement is mandatory for the Tribunal de Familia to approve the divorce in cases involving minor children. The Tribunal will not approve the divorce or legal separation (separación judicial) unless the parties present a comprehensive agreement covering custody, visitation, child support (alimentos), and asset division, or the Tribunal itself resolves these matters in the divorce proceedings.

Never-Married Parents Separating: When biological parents who were never married and have been cohabiting (convivencia de hecho) separate, they need a formal custody agreement to avoid future conflicts over daily care, school decisions, medical decisions, and holiday scheduling. Without a formal written agreement approved by the Tribunal de Familia, the statutory default under CC Article 225 inciso 3 applies — maternal custody — which may not reflect the actual caregiving arrangement the parents intend.

Modification of Existing Custody Arrangements: When circumstances materially change after an initial custody order or agreement — including one parent relocating to another city or region, a child's educational needs changing, a parent's work schedule changing significantly, or a child reaching an age where their own preference should be weighted more heavily — either parent may request modification of the custody arrangement before the Tribunal de Familia under Ley 19.968 Article 9. A new shared custody agreement documents the modified arrangement for judicial approval.

Formalization of Existing De Facto Arrangements: When parents have informally been sharing child care responsibilities after separation — alternating weeks, splitting school terms, or dividing the child's time informally — a formal shared custody agreement converts the de facto arrangement into a legally binding and enforceable document. This protects both parents from unilateral changes and ensures the arrangement is recognized by schools, health providers, and public institutions that require proof of custody authority.

International Relocation Situations: When one parent wishes to relocate internationally with the child — triggering the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Chile ratified in 1994 through Decreto Supremo N° 386) — a formal custody agreement with explicit international travel provisions provides legal clarity. Without express agreement, the relocating parent may require court authorization under CC Article 49 and Ley N° 19.968 to take the child abroad.

A valid Shared Custody Agreement Chile under Código Civil Article 225 and Ley N° 19.968 must include the following essential elements to obtain homologación judicial from the Tribunal de Familia:

Parent Identification: Full legal names, RUN numbers, domiciles, contact information, and employment information for both parents. Specify each parent's relationship to the child — whether established through marriage (filiación matrimonial), civil union (AUC under Ley N° 20.830), or non-matrimonial recognition (filiación no matrimonial). If either parent has remarried or entered a new civil union, identify the new partner as this may be relevant to the Tribunal de Familia's best-interest assessment.

Child Identification: Full legal names, RUN numbers, dates of birth, and current school enrollment details (nombre del establecimiento educacional, curso, and RBD — Rol Base de Datos del Ministerio de Educación) for each child covered by the agreement. Include any medical conditions, special educational needs, or therapeutic interventions currently in place (profesionales tratantes), as these affect custody schedule design and parental cooperation requirements.

Physical Custody Schedule (Régimen de Cuidado Personal): Detailed specification of the shared custody arrangement — including: the regular weekly or biweekly rotation schedule (alternating weeks/biweeks — semanas alternas being the most common Chilean arrangement); school holiday schedule (vacaciones de verano, invierno, and fiestas patrias division); public holiday schedule (Año Nuevo, Semana Santa, Día de la Madre, Día del Padre, Navidad); birthday arrangement for the child and each parent; and provisions for illness, school events, and emergency medical decisions. Specify the handover location (lugar de entrega) and handover time (hora de entrega) for each custody change.

Parental Decision-Making Authority (Patria Potestad): Clear specification of whether both parents exercise joint parental authority (patria potestad conjunta under CC Article 244 as amended by Ley 20.680) or one parent has primary authority with consultation rights for the other. Joint authority requires both parents to co-sign: school enrollment and change forms, passport and travel document applications (under CC Article 49 and Ley N° 19.273 on child passports), major medical procedures (intervenciones quirúrgicas), and significant asset transactions affecting the child's patrimony.

Relación Directa y Regular: Specification of the non-custodial parent's right to regular personal contact (relación directa y regular under CC Article 229) during the weeks or periods when the child is in the other parent's primary care — including weekend visits, telephone and video call schedules, and school pickup rights. Under CC Article 229 as amended by Ley 20.680, the non-resident parent's contact right is characterized as both a parental right and a duty — it cannot be waived and cannot be used as leverage in disputes over alimentos payments.

Child Support (Alimentos): Specification of the monthly alimentos contribution from each parent — or acknowledgment that shared equal-time custody eliminates the need for interparental support payments with each parent covering costs during their custody period. If a support payment is agreed, reference the calculation methodology, the payable amount in Chilean pesos (CLP), the payment date, and the bank account (cuenta corriente or cuenta vista) for transfer. Compliance with CC Articles 321–337 and Ley N° 14.908 minimum standards (40% of minimum wage per child) must be ensured.

International Travel Provisions: Explicit provisions governing international travel with the child — including the requirement for both parents' notarized authorization (autorización notarial de viaje) under Ley N° 19.273 before either parent travels internationally with the child; procedures for emergency travel requiring one parent's solo authorization; and restrictions on relocation of the child's habitual residence (residencia habitual) outside Chile without court authorization.

Dispute Resolution: Mechanism for resolving disputes about agreement interpretation or compliance — including mandatory direct negotiation (first step), mediation before a Mediador Familiar certificado by the Registro de Mediadores del Ministerio de Justicia (second step), and judicial enforcement before the Tribunal de Familia (third step). Forms-legal.com provides this Shared Custody Agreement Chile template as a reference for parents formalizing co-parenting arrangements under Ley 20.680 and CC Article 225. A family law attorney (abogado de familia) should review the agreement before submission to the Tribunal de Familia. Los usuarios de forms-legal.com pueden descargar este documento de forma gratuita en formato PDF o DOCX, completar los campos del formulario guiado y obtener un documento listo para firma.