Florida Prenup With a Brazilian Spouse or Property in Brazil: Pacto Antenupcial, Comunhão Parcial and Disclosure (2026)

By Nadia Pazos, Family Law Attorney, Pazos Law Group · Updated October 13, 2026

A Brazilian fiancé(e), an apartment in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, a family company in Brazil, or a couple who will marry in Brazil and live in Miami: each raises the same question of how a Florida prenup and Brazilian law fit together. Pazos Law Group, a family law firm in Coral Gables serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, drafts and reviews Florida prenups for couples with Brazilian ties, in English or Spanish: (305) 482-1262.

Two Systems, Two Formalities

• Florida: a premarital agreement “must be in writing and signed by both parties,” and “becomes effective upon marriage of the parties.” § 61.079(3), (5)
• Brazil: “É lícito aos nubentes, antes de celebrado o casamento, estipular, quanto aos seus bens, o que lhes aprouver” (art. 1.639). “É nulo o pacto antenupcial se não for feito por escritura pública, e ineficaz se não lhe seguir o casamento” (art. 1.653).
• Limits in Brazil: “É nula a convenção ou cláusula dela que contravenha disposição absoluta de lei” (art. 1.655).
• Third parties in Brazil: antenuptial agreements have no effect against third parties until registered “em livro especial, pelo oficial do Registro de Imóveis do domicílio dos cônjuges” (art. 1.657).

Which country’s law governs the property regime is itself a question Brazilian law answers: “O regime de bens, legal ou convencional, obedece à lei do país em que tiverem os nubentes domicílio, e, se este for diverso, a do primeiro domicílio conjugal” (LINDB, Decreto-Lei 4.657/1942, art. 7, § 4). Whether a Brazilian notary, registry or court will give effect to a Florida agreement for property in Brazil is a question a lawyer in Brazil should confirm, ideally before the wedding.

Watch the 2-minute answer: Can a Florida prenup cover assets in another country?

Timing: Before the Wedding, and What Happens After

In Brazil, the property regime “começa a vigorar desde a data do casamento” (art. 1.639, § 1), and a pacto antenupcial with no marriage after it is ineffective (art. 1.653).

After the wedding, Brazilian law allows the regime to be changed only “mediante autorização judicial em pedido motivado de ambos os cônjuges, apurada a procedência das razões invocadas e ressalvados os direitos de terceiros” (art. 1.639, § 2): a court process, not a private agreement.

Florida also has an after-the-wedding option: a postnuptial agreement. See Florida postnuptial agreements.

The Default: Brazil’s Comunhão Parcial de Bens

“Não havendo convenção, ou sendo ela nula ou ineficaz, vigorará, quanto aos bens entre os cônjuges, o regime da comunhão parcial” (art. 1.640). Under it, “comunicam-se os bens que sobrevierem ao casal, na constância do casamento”, with listed exceptions (art. 1.658). Shared property includes, among others (art. 1.660):

• property acquired during the marriage “por título oneroso, ainda que só em nome de um dos cônjuges” (item I);
• “as benfeitorias em bens particulares de cada cônjuge” (item IV);
• “os frutos dos bens comuns, ou dos particulares de cada cônjuge, percebidos na constância do casamento” (item V).

Excluded are, among others, the property each spouse owned on marrying and what each later receives “por doação ou sucessão” (art. 1.659, I), and “os proventos do trabalho pessoal de cada cônjuge” (art. 1.659, VI). Couples who choose separation of property by pact keep their own assets: “Estipulada a separação de bens, estes permanecerão sob a administração exclusiva de cada um dos cônjuges” (art. 1.687).

A contrast worth noticing: in Brazil’s default regime, the fruits of one spouse’s separate property received during the marriage are shared (art. 1.660, item V). In a Florida divorce, “all income derived from nonmarital assets during the marriage” is nonmarital “unless the income was treated, used, or relied upon by the parties as a marital asset” (Fla. Stat. § 61.075(6)(b)3.). Rental income from an apartment in Brazil is exactly where the two systems can point in different directions, so the agreement should say how it is treated.

Inheritance: the Spouse Is a Necessary Heir in Brazil

Brazil’s Civil Code provides that “São herdeiros necessários os descendentes, os ascendentes e o cônjuge” (art. 1.845), and that half of the estate belongs to the necessary heirs as the legítima (art. 1.846). A Florida prenup can include waivers of a spouse’s rights at death for Florida purposes (Fla. Stat. § 732.702). How a Brazilian estate will treat a surviving spouse, with or without a Florida agreement, is a question for a lawyer in Brazil.

How a Florida Divorce Approaches Brazilian Property

• Florida is not a community-property state. § 61.075(8) states that the section does not “establish community property in this state”; Florida divides marital assets by equitable distribution.
• A written agreement controls classification. Assets “excluded from marital assets and liabilities by valid written agreement of the parties” are nonmarital (§ 61.075(6)(b)4.). A Brazilian pacto antenupcial is a written agreement; comunhão parcial that applies by default under art. 1.640 is not one. How a Florida court weighs either depends on the documents and facts, which is why a Florida prenup that addresses the Brazilian property directly is the clearer route.
• Choice of law. The Florida agreement may choose “the choice of law governing the construction of the agreement” (§ 61.079(4)(a)7.).
• Couples who may later live in Brazil. Because Brazilian law looks to the couple’s domicile, or their first marital domicile (LINDB art. 7, § 4), a lawyer in Brazil should confirm how a Florida agreement will be read there before a move.

Disclosing Brazilian Assets

Florida’s unconscionability defense turns on whether the challenging party received “a fair and reasonable disclosure of the property or financial obligations of the other party,” waived further disclosure in writing, or had adequate knowledge (§ 61.079(7)(a)3.). For Brazilian assets, the schedules should give each property’s location and approximate value in reais and dollars, any mortgage, company holdings, Brazilian bank and pension accounts, and income from them. Supporting documents from Brazil, with translations where a party does not read Portuguese, make the disclosure easier to prove later.

Pazos Law Group advises on Florida law and does not give opinions on Brazilian law. Where property is in Brazil or the couple will marry there, we coordinate with the client’s Brazilian lawyer or notary so the Florida agreement and any pacto antenupcial do not contradict each other.

Consultations in person or by video, in English or Spanish. Meet Nadia at our Coral Gables office or by video from Brazil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Sources & Related Reading

• Código Civil do Brasil (Lei 10.406/2002), arts. 1.639–1.688 and 1.845–1.846 — Planalto (official)
• Lei de Introdução às Normas do Direito Brasileiro (Decreto-Lei 4.657/1942), art. 7 — Planalto (official)
• Fla. Stat. § 61.079, Premarital agreements — Florida Senate
• Fla. Stat. § 61.075, Equitable distribution — Florida Senate
• Fla. Stat. § 732.702, Waiver of spousal rights — Florida Senate
• International Prenups in Florida
• Is a Foreign or Out-of-State Prenup Valid in Florida?
• Prenup When Marrying Abroad
• Florida Prenup With Colombian Ties
• Esta página en español

The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, and it does not address the law of any state or country other than Florida except as expressly noted. Reading or sharing this content does not create an attorney-client relationship with Pazos Law Group. Florida law and the application of statutes change over time; please consult a licensed Florida attorney about your specific situation, and counsel licensed in any other state or country whose law may apply.