Union Marital de Hecho Declaration Colombia (Acuerdo de Union Marital de Hecho)

A Union Marital de Hecho Declaration Colombia (Acuerdo de Union Marital de Hecho) is the formal legal instrument through which two persons — a man and a woman, or since Sentencia C-029 de 2009 and Sentencia SU-214 de 2016 of the Corte Constitucional, two persons of the same sex — who have lived together in a stable, singular, and permanent union (comunidad de vida permanente y singular) for at least two years without being legally married to each other or to a third party, formally establish and record their union marital de hecho before a notario publico or a Juzgado de Familia.

The legal framework for the union marital de hecho in Colombia is established by Ley 54 de 1990, titled the Ley sobre Union Marital de Hecho y Regimen Patrimonial entre Compañeros Permanentes. This statute introduced the concept of the union marital de hecho as a legally recognized family unit distinct from marriage, granting compañeros permanentes specific legal rights that did not exist before 1990. Ley 979 de 2005 amended Ley 54 de 1990 to expand the mechanisms for declaring and dissolving the union and to clarify inheritance rights, addressing gaps identified by courts and legal practitioners in the original statute.

Under Ley 54 de 1990 Article 1, a union marital de hecho exists when a man and a woman — later extended to same-sex couples — form a permanent and singular life community (comunidad de vida permanente y singular). The union must meet three essential requirements: singularity (singularidad) — neither party is simultaneously in another union marital de hecho or legally married to a third party; permanence (permanencia) — the union has lasted at least two continuous years without extended interruptions; and community of life (comunidad de vida) — the parties share a domestic life together, including cohabitation, mutual assistance, and the public appearance of a couple.

The sociedad patrimonial de hecho (de facto property regime) arises automatically under Ley 54 de 1990 Article 2 upon the completion of two years of union, presuming that the property acquired by either compañero during the union was acquired jointly for the benefit of both. This presumption mirrors the sociedad conyugal (marital property regime) of legally married couples under Codigo Civil Articles 1771-1820. Once declared, the sociedad patrimonial entitles each compañero to 50% of the net assets accumulated during the union, subject to proof that the assets were acquired after the union's start date and before its dissolution.

The Corte Constitucional Sentencia C-029 de 2009 extended all rights and obligations of Ley 54 de 1990 to same-sex couples (parejas del mismo sexo), and Sentencia SU-214 de 2016 went further to equate the union marital de hecho of same-sex couples with marriage in all legal respects. The Registraduria Nacional del Estado Civil now records declarations of union marital de hecho, and the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro registers notarial declarations in its national records.

The legal framework governing the Union Marital de Hecho Declaration Colombia (Acuerdo de Union Marital de Hecho) in Colombia draws on several key statutes and regulatory bodies. Under Colombian law, the Codigo Civil governs marriage, divorce, custody, and maintenance. The Ley 1098 de 2006 (Codigo de la Infancia y la Adolescencia) protects minors through the ICBF (Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar). The Ley 640 de 2001 governs conciliation. The Registraduria Nacional del Estado Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Defensoria del Pueblo protects fundamental rights. Parties executing a Union Marital de Hecho Declaration Colombia (Acuerdo de Union Marital de Hecho) in Colombia should confirm the document reflects current law, including any amendments enacted since the original drafting date. The Ley 54 de 1990 (Union Marital de Hecho); Ley 979 de 2005 (reforma Ley 54); Decreto Ley 960 de 1970 sets the foundational requirements.

A Union Marital de Hecho Declaration Colombia is needed in a wide range of practical legal and administrative situations where compañeros permanentes must prove the formal existence and duration of their union to access rights and benefits.

The declaration is required for inheritance purposes. Under the succession rules modified by Ley 979 de 2005, the recognized compañero permanente participates in the estate of the deceased partner as a first-order heir alongside the children under Codigo Civil Article 1045, or as a second-order heir alongside the deceased's parents under CC Article 1046. Without a formal declaration of the union, the surviving compañero has no automatic inheritance rights and the estate passes entirely to blood relatives. The declaration must exist — or be obtained simultaneously — for the compañero permanente to be recognized as a heredero in the succession proceeding before the Juzgado de Familia.

The declaration is needed for pension survivor benefits. Colpensiones and private AFP (Administradoras de Fondos de Pensiones) — including Porvenir, Proteccion, Colfondos, and Old Mutual — require proof of union marital de hecho for the compañero permanente to be recognized as a beneficiary of the pension survivor benefit (pension de sobrevivencia) under Ley 100 de 1993 Articles 46-49. Without this recognition, the pension passes only to legally married spouses and children.

The document is necessary for health coverage (EPS) under Ley 100 de 1993. The Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud requires compañeros permanentes to prove their union for the non-contributing partner to be enrolled as a beneficiary on the contributing partner's EPS plan (Entidades Promotoras de Salud), whether EPS Sura, Nueva EPS, Sanitas, Compensar, or others.

The declaration is required for joint property transactions. When compañeros permanentes wish to sell, mortgage, or otherwise dispose of jointly held property — or property that was acquired during the union and is subject to the sociedad patrimonial — a formal declaration of the union establishes the property regime and both parties' consent may be required, similar to the spousal consent requirement for married couples under CC Article 1805.

The declaration is needed when compañeros permanentes adopt a child (adopcion) jointly or when one partner adopts the other's biological child. The Juzgado de Familia and ICBF require proof of the stable union as a condition for joint adoption applications under CIA Article 68.

The document is required for immigration purposes when a foreign compañero permanente applies for a Colombian resident visa (visa de residente) based on their relationship with a Colombian national or permanent resident. Migracion Colombia and the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores require a certified declaration of union marital de hecho as evidence of the relationship.

A valid Union Marital de Hecho Declaration Colombia under Ley 54 de 1990 and Ley 979 de 2005 must contain the following essential elements to be legally effective and registrable.

Identification of Both Compañeros Permanentes: Full legal name, cedula de ciudadania or cedula de extranjeria, date and place of birth, nationality, profession, and current address of each partner. For same-sex couples, the same identification requirements apply following Sentencia C-029 de 2009 and Sentencia SU-214 de 2016.

Declaration of Singularity (Singularidad): An express declaration by both partners that at the time of the union's commencement and throughout its duration, neither party was legally married to a third party or simultaneously in another union marital de hecho. Under Ley 54 de 1990 Article 1, singularity is an essential requirement — a union existing simultaneously with a valid marriage is not recognized as a union marital de hecho under Colombian law.

Start Date of the Union (Fecha de Inicio): The specific date on which the partners began cohabiting and forming a community of life together. The start date is critical because it determines the moment from which the sociedad patrimonial de hecho is presumed to exist (two years after the start date), and it governs which assets were acquired during the union and are subject to the joint property regime under Ley 54 de 1990 Article 2.

Duration and Continuity (Duracion y Continuidad): A declaration that the union has lasted for at least two continuous years at the time of formalization. Brief interruptions (e.g., travel, temporary separation) do not necessarily break the continuity, but extended separations with intent to terminate the union would reset the two-year count.

Declaration of Sociedad Patrimonial (Sociedad Patrimonial): An express recognition that the sociedad patrimonial de hecho arose upon the completion of two years of union, with each compañero holding an equal 50% share in the net assets acquired during the union. The declaration should specify the commencement date of the sociedad patrimonial.

Mechanism of Declaration (Mecanismo de Declaracion): Under Ley 979 de 2005, the union marital de hecho may be declared through: (1) escritura publica before a notario publico, which is the most common and recommended method, providing immediate registration in the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro; (2) acta de conciliacion before a Centro de Conciliacion or Conciliador authorized by the Ministerio de Justicia; or (3) sentencia judicial before the Juzgado de Familia when the parties cannot agree or when a dispute about the union's existence requires resolution.

Witnesses (Testigos): For notarial declarations, two qualified witnesses (testigos habiles) may be required by the notario to corroborate the existence and duration of the union. Witnesses are typically persons who have direct knowledge of the couple's life together — friends, family members, neighbors, or colleagues.

Registration (Registro): The notarial declaration (escritura publica) must be registered with the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro for national recognition. The Registraduria Nacional del Estado Civil may also record the union. For immigration purposes, the document may need to be apostilled under the Convenio de La Haya de 1961 if used abroad.

Forms-legal.com provides this Union Marital de Hecho Declaration Colombia template as a practical starting point for formalizing a de facto union. Given the significant legal rights that flow from formal recognition — inheritance, pensions, property, adoption — all compañeros permanentes are encouraged to consult a licensed abogado especialista en derecho de familia or a notario publico to confirm the declaration is correctly executed and registered.