Florida Prenup With a Colombian Spouse or Property in Colombia: Capitulaciones, Sociedad Conyugal and Disclosure (2026)

By Nadia Pazos, Family Law Attorney, Pazos Law Group · Updated October 10, 2026

Colombia comes up more than any other country in the prenup enquiries we receive: a Colombian fiancé(e), an apartment in Bogotá or Medellín, a family company in Colombia, or a couple who will marry in Cartagena and live in Miami. 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 Colombian ties, in English or Spanish: (305) 482-1262.

Quick Answer

One of us is Colombian or owns property in Colombia. What do we need?

A Florida prenup needs only a writing signed by both parties (Fla. Stat. § 61.079(3)) and can cover property “whenever and wherever acquired or located” (§ 61.079(4)(a)1.), including in Colombia. Colombia’s equivalent, capitulaciones matrimoniales, must be made before the wedding (Código Civil art. 1771) by escritura pública (art. 1772), and cannot be altered once the couple is married (art. 1778). Without them, a Colombian marriage creates a sociedad conyugal by law (art. 1774). List the Colombian assets, with values, in the Florida disclosure schedules, and have Colombian counsel confirm how the plan will be treated in Colombia.

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)
Colombia: capitulaciones are “las convenciones que celebran los esposos antes de contraer matrimonio, relativas a los bienes que aportan a él” (art. 1771). “Las capitulaciones matrimoniales se otorgarán por escritura pública,” with a narrow statutory exception for small estates without real property, and otherwise “no valdrán” (art. 1772).
Limits in Colombia: capitulaciones “no contendrán estipulaciones contrarias a las buenas costumbres ni a las leyes” and may not impair the rights and duties the law gives each spouse toward the other or toward their common descendants (art. 1773).

On form, Colombian law itself points to the place of signing: “La forma de los instrumentos públicos se determina por la ley del país en que hayan sido otorgados” (art. 21). Whether a Florida agreement will be given effect for property registered in Colombia is a question for a Colombian lawyer or notary, and is worth asking before the wedding.

Timing: Before the Wedding, and What Happens After

Colombian capitulaciones are tied to the wedding date. They “no se entenderán irrevocablemente otorgadas sino desde el día de la celebración del matrimonio; ni celebrado, podrán alterarse, aún con el consentimiento de todas las personas que intervinieron en ellas” (art. 1778). Changes are admitted only if made “antes del matrimonio y con las mismas solemnidades que las capitulaciones primitivas” (art. 1779).

Once married, a Colombian couple cannot sign capitulaciones. The route the Code provides during the marriage is different: the sociedad conyugal may be dissolved “por mutuo acuerdo de los cónyuges capaces, elevado a escritura pública, en cuyo cuerpo se incorporará el inventario de bienes y deudas sociales y su liquidación” (art. 1820, numeral 5). The spouses remain jointly liable to creditors whose claims predate registration of that deed.

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

The Default: Colombia’s Sociedad Conyugal

“A falta de pacto escrito se entenderá, por el mero hecho del matrimonio, contraída la sociedad conyugal” (art. 1774; see also art. 180). Its assets include, among others (art. 1781):

salaries and earnings “devengados durante el matrimonio” (numeral 1);
“todos los frutos, réditos, pensiones, intereses y lucros de cualquiera naturaleza que provengan, sea de los bienes sociales, sea de los bienes propios de cada uno de los cónyuges y que se devenguen durante el matrimonio” (numeral 2);
everything either spouse acquires during the marriage “a título oneroso” (numeral 5).

Gifts, inheritances and legacies received by one spouse stay that spouse’s own (art. 1782). Either spouse may renounce the gananciales on dissolution, “sin perjuicio de terceros” (art. 1775).

A contrast worth noticing: in Colombia, income earned during the marriage from one spouse’s own property falls into the sociedad conyugal (art. 1781, numeral 2). 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 Colombia is exactly where the two systems can point in different directions, so the agreement should say how it is treated.

How a Florida Divorce Approaches Colombian 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.). Colombian capitulaciones are a written agreement; a sociedad conyugal that arose by default under art. 1774 is not one. How a Florida court weighs either depends on the documents and facts, which is why a Florida prenup that addresses the Colombian 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 later move to Colombia. Colombian law presumes that those married abroad who become domiciled in Colombia are “separados de bienes, a menos que de conformidad a las leyes bajo cuyo imperio se casaron se hallen sometidos a un régimen patrimonial diferente” (art. 180).

Disclosing Colombian 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 Colombian assets, the schedules should give each property’s location and approximate value in pesos and dollars, any mortgage, company shareholdings, Colombian bank and pension accounts, and income from them. Supporting documents from Colombia, with translations where a party does not read Spanish, make the disclosure easier to prove later.

Pazos Law Group advises on Florida law and does not give opinions on Colombian law. Where property is in Colombia or the couple will marry there, we coordinate with the client’s Colombian lawyer or notary so the Florida agreement and any capitulaciones 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 Colombia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we sign capitulaciones in Colombia after the wedding?

No. Under art. 1778 of the Código Civil, once the marriage is celebrated the capitulaciones cannot be altered, and art. 1771 defines them as agreements made before marriage. During the marriage, the Code allows the spouses to dissolve and liquidate the sociedad conyugal by mutual agreement in an escritura pública (art. 1820, numeral 5). In Florida, a postnuptial agreement is the after-the-wedding option.

We are marrying in Miami. Do we also need capitulaciones in Colombia?

Florida does not require them; a Florida prenup needs only a signed writing (§ 61.079(3)). Whether Colombian capitulaciones are also advisable depends on where the property is and where you may live. Ask a Colombian lawyer before the wedding, because capitulaciones must be made before it (art. 1771).

Can a Florida prenup cover my apartment in Colombia?

Yes. § 61.079(4)(a)1. allows the agreement to cover property “wherever acquired or located.” Disclose it in the schedules, and say how its rental income is treated.

What is the sociedad conyugal?

The default Colombian marital-property partnership that arises “por el mero hecho del matrimonio” when there is no written pact (art. 1774). It includes earnings during the marriage, income from both common and separate property during the marriage, and property acquired for value during the marriage (art. 1781); gifts and inheritances stay separate (art. 1782).

Who can help with a Florida prenup involving Colombia?

Pazos Law Group, in Coral Gables, drafts and reviews Florida prenups for couples with Colombian ties, for clients in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, in English or Spanish. Call (305) 482-1262 or see our international prenuptial agreement page.

Official Sources & Related Reading

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.