Civil marriage: types of union and documentation

Required documentation

-Original birth certificate and identity card: birth certificate with recent issue date to ensure that none of the applicants have any kind of obstacle to the requested qualification — request it at the registry office where the birth registration was made.

-Original proof of residence: worth the last electricity, water or telephone bill. Those who live with their parents will have to present proof of their parents.

-Two witnesses: they are the ones who will prove the absence of any kind of impediment to the union. Witnesses must be of legal age and may be related (with the exception of parents who are not accepted). If the marriage takes place outside the registry office, four witnesses will be required instead of two. It is necessary to take only the original RG.

After providing the papers, it is necessary to wait for 15 days. This is the call banns period, stipulated by law, to investigate possible impediments to the union. If no one objects, the official will certify in the process that the bride and groom are qualified for marriage and will give a period of three months for it to take place. If you miss the date, you’ll have to start over from scratch. To avoid complications, it is best to file documentation at least two months before the ceremony.

Choose the type of union

When it comes to getting married, it will be necessary to decide whether they want the couple’s assets to be divided between the two, if they prefer everything to be completely separate, or if they still find a middle way better. This will depend on each relationship and each one’s life story. The truth is that the choice is more related to practicality. See the characteristic of each regime of communion of goods:

– Partial community property: is currently the most used. In it, what each one had when single remains theirs, what is acquired after marriage belongs to both. If one of the two receives an inheritance or donation, the property will not be divided, unless it was made in the name of the couple.

🇧🇷universal community of goods: here it doesn’t matter when the good was acquired, how much it cost or who bought it, everything belongs to the couple, in equal proportions. If one of the two dies, the partner keeps his half and the remaining half is divided between the heirs.

-Complete separation of goods: with the new Civil Code, in the event of the death of one of the spouses, the survivor will receive an equal share of that of the children, and their share cannot be less than a quarter of the inheritance. If you wish, the spouses can divide the assets before they die to avoid fights or problems at the time of sharing. There are some cases in which this regime is mandatory, for example when one of the bride and groom is a widower with children of the deceased spouse and the inventory or the division of assets has not yet been carried out; when the woman is under 16 or over 50 or the man is under 16 or over 60.