Separate Property Marriage Agreement Spain (Separación de Bienes)

A Separate Property Marriage Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Régimen de Separación de Bienes) is a formal legal instrument — executed as capitulaciones matrimoniales before a Notario público — by which both spouses in Spain elect the régimen de separación de bienes as their matrimonial property regime, governed principally by Articles 1435 through 1444 of the Código Civil (Real Decreto de 24 de julio de 1889) and supplemented by the autonomous community civil law in Cataluña (Codi Civil de Catalunya, Llibre II), the Basque Country (Ley 5/2015, de Derecho Civil Vasco), Aragón (Decreto Legislativo 1/2011), Navarra (Compilación del Derecho Civil Foral de Navarra — Fuero Nuevo), and the Balearic Islands (Compilación del Derecho Civil de las Islas Baleares).

Under the régimen de separación de bienes established by Article 1437 of the Código Civil, each spouse retains exclusive ownership, administration, enjoyment, and free disposition of all property belonging to them — whether acquired before the marriage or during its subsistence. Neither spouse acquires any ownership right in the property of the other merely by reason of the marriage. This contrasts fundamentally with the default régimen de gananciales (community of acquisitions) under Articles 1344 through 1410 of the Código Civil, where assets acquired for valuable consideration during the marriage become jointly owned (gananciales) and are subject to the liquidation process (liquidación de sociedad de gananciales) upon dissolution of the marriage.

Capitulaciones matrimoniales — the notarial instrument recording the chosen matrimonial property regime — are governed by Articles 1325 through 1335 of the Código Civil. Article 1327 requires that capitulaciones be executed in escritura pública (notarial public deed) before a Notario del Colegio de Notarios de España for validity. Article 1333 requires that the capitulaciones be registered in the Registro Civil where the marriage is recorded, and Article 1334 provides that the chosen regime is only effective against third parties — principally creditors — from the date of registration in the Registro Civil and, where immovable property is affected, in the Registro de la Propiedad.

The régimen de separación de bienes may be elected before marriage (capitulaciones prematrimoniales) or during the marriage (capitulaciones durante el matrimonio), subject to the prohibition in Article 1317 of the Código Civil that modifications to the matrimonial regime may not prejudice rights previously acquired by third parties. Creditors who obtained credit under the régimen de gananciales assumption retain their rights notwithstanding subsequent adoption of separación de bienes.

In practice, the régimen de separación de bienes is the default regime in Cataluña under Article 232-3 of the Codi Civil de Catalunya, in the Balearic Islands, and in certain other territories with their own civil law (territorios forales). In common-law Spain (derecho civil común) — principally Castile — the default is the régimen de gananciales, so couples who wish to maintain separate assets must execute capitulaciones expressly adopting the separación de bienes.

Article 1438 of the Código Civil requires each spouse to contribute to the family expenses (cargas del matrimonio) in proportion to their respective resources. If a spouse works exclusively in the household (trabajo doméstico) without receiving remuneration, that work is computed as a contribution in kind. In the event of dissolution of the régimen de separación de bienes — whether by divorce, death, or change of regime — Article 1438 additionally creates a right of compensation for the spouse who has worked exclusively for the household to the detriment of their own professional or business progression.

A Separate Property Marriage Agreement Spain is needed whenever a couple in Spain — whether marrying for the first time or already married — wishes to adopt the régimen de separación de bienes rather than the default régimen de gananciales applicable in derecho civil común territories under Article 1344 of the Código Civil.

Capitulaciones matrimoniales adopting the separación de bienes are needed before a first marriage when one or both parties enter the union with significant pre-marital assets — real estate registered in the Registro de la Propiedad, participation in sociedades limitadas or sociedades anónimas, intellectual property rights, or substantial financial investments — and wish to confirm those assets remain exclusively theirs during and after the marriage.

The agreement is needed when one spouse operates a business as autónomo (self-employed under the Régimen Especial de Trabajadores Autónomos — RETA) or as a sole shareholder of a sociedad limitada (participaciones sociales), and wishes to protect the business from claims by the other spouse's creditors or from liquidation proceedings in the event of marital dissolution before the Juzgado de Primera Instancia.

Capitulaciones de separación de bienes are needed when a married couple in derecho civil común territory wishes to change their existing régimen de gananciales to separación de bienes, for example upon one spouse starting a high-risk business activity or undertaking significant debt obligations. Article 1326 of the Código Civil permits modification of the matrimonial regime at any time during the marriage by executing new capitulaciones before a Notario.

The agreement is required when one spouse is a professional subject to unlimited liability risk — abogado, arquitecto, médico, gestor — and the couple wishes to isolate the other spouse's assets from professional liability claims, since under the régimen de gananciales the ganancial assets may be seized to satisfy debts of either spouse incurred in the exercise of a trade or profession under Article 1365 of the Código Civil.

Capitulaciones matrimoniales establishing separación de bienes are also needed for international couples — spouses of different nationalities or domiciles — where the applicable matrimonial property law under EU Regulation 2016/1103 (on matrimonial property regimes) is uncertain, and the parties wish to express a clear choice of Spanish law and the separación de bienes regime for assets located in Spain.

Under the Código Civil Articles 657–1087, Spanish succession law applies the legítima system (forced heirship). The Ley del Notariado governs testamentary forms (abierto, cerrado, ológrafo). The Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones (ISD) Ley 29/1987 taxes inheritances. Foral regions (País Vasco, Navarra, Cataluña, Aragón, Baleares, Galicia) have distinct succession rules. The Reglamento UE 650/2012 governs cross-border EU successions.

A valid Separate Property Marriage Agreement Spain under Articles 1325–1344 and 1435–1444 of the Código Civil must be executed as escritura pública before a Notario and contain the following essential elements.

Identification of Both Spouses: Full legal names, DNI or NIE numbers, nationalities, civil status, and domiciles of both spouses (cónyuges). Where one spouse is a foreign national, their passport number and country of residence must also be stated. The Notario is required under Ley del Notariado (Decreto de 2 de junio de 1944) and its Reglamento to verify the identity of both parties.

Declaration of Matrimonial Property Regime: An express declaration that both spouses freely and voluntarily adopt the régimen de separación de bienes pursuant to Articles 1435 through 1444 of the Código Civil (or the applicable foral law in Cataluña, the Basque Country, Aragón, Navarra, or the Balearic Islands), and that the default régimen de gananciales is hereby excluded.

Inventory of Pre-Existing Assets (Optional but Recommended): A schedule of significant assets owned separately by each spouse at the time of execution — immovable property with Registro de la Propiedad identification data (finca registral number, Catastro reference), participaciones sociales or acciones in companies (with CIF and percentage of participation), bank accounts (with IBAN), and intellectual property registrations with the Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas (OEPM). An inventory prevents future disputes about the origin of assets.

Contribution to Family Expenses: A clause confirming each spouse's obligation to contribute to the cargas del matrimonio (family expenses) in proportion to their respective economic resources under Article 1438 of the Código Civil, and specifying the agreed arrangement — equal shares, proportional to income, or one spouse contributing exclusively in kind through household work.

Administration and Disposal of Assets: A clause confirming that each spouse exercises full administration and disposal rights over their own property without requiring the other spouse's consent, pursuant to Article 1437 of the Código Civil. Where the family home (vivienda habitual) is owned by one spouse alone, the parties should acknowledge that Article 1320 of the Código Civil still requires the other spouse's consent for acts of disposal of the family home, irrespective of the matrimonial property regime.

Right of Compensation for Household Work: An acknowledgment of the right to compensation under Article 1438 in fine of the Código Civil for a spouse who has worked exclusively for the household during the marriage, resulting in a patrimonial enrichment of the other spouse. The parties may agree a method of calculation in advance.

Governing Law and Registration: Identification of the applicable civil law — derecho civil común or the applicable foral law — and an obligation for both spouses to register the capitulaciones in the Registro Civil in accordance with Article 1333 of the Código Civil and, for real property, in the Registro de la Propiedad.

Notarial Formalities: Confirmation that the escritura pública has been authorised by the competent Notario, that both spouses have been fully informed of the legal consequences of the separation of property regime, and that no coercion or undue influence has been exercised. The Notario's control of legality under Article 17bis of the Ley del Notariado is a substantive protection for both parties.

Forms-legal.com provides this Separate Property Marriage Agreement Spain as a planning tool. Capitulaciones matrimoniales must be executed before a Notario — this template cannot replace the required notarial escritura pública. Couples should consult an abogado especialista en derecho de familia before executing capitulaciones that change an existing matrimonial property regime.

Under the Código Civil Articles 657–1087, Spanish succession law applies the legítima system (forced heirship). The Ley del Notariado governs testamentary forms (abierto, cerrado, ológrafo). The Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones (ISD) Ley 29/1987 taxes inheritances. Foral regions (País Vasco, Navarra, Cataluña, Aragón, Baleares, Galicia) have distinct succession rules. The Reglamento UE 650/2012 governs cross-border EU successions.