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Pazos Law GroupPrenups · Divorce · Family Law

Florida Prenup With a Spanish Spouse or Property in Spain: Capitulaciones Matrimoniales, Sociedad de Gananciales and Disclosure (2026)

By Nadia Pazos, Family Law Attorney, Pazos Law Group · Updated

A fiancé(e) from Madrid or Barcelona, a flat in Spain, a family business there, or a couple who married in Spain and now lives in Miami: each raises the question of how Spain’s marital-property rules and Florida 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 and postnups for couples with ties to Spain, in English or Spanish: (305) 482-1262.

Quick Answer

One of us is Spanish or owns property in Spain. 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 Spain. Spain’s equivalent, capitulaciones matrimoniales, may be signed before or after the wedding (Código Civil art. 1326) and must be in an escritura pública to be valid (art. 1327). Without them, the Civil Code’s default is the sociedad de gananciales (art. 1316), although several Spanish regions have their own civil law (art. 13.2). List the Spanish assets, with values, in the Florida disclosure schedules, and ask a lawyer in Spain to confirm how a Florida agreement will be treated there.

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)
  • Spain: “El régimen económico del matrimonio será el que los cónyuges estipulen en capitulaciones matrimoniales, sin otras limitaciones que las establecidas en este Código” (art. 1315). “Para su validez, las capitulaciones habrán de constar en escritura pública” (art. 1327).
  • Limits in Spain: “Será nula cualquier estipulación contraria a las Leyes o a las buenas costumbres o limitativa de la igualdad de derechos que corresponda a cada cónyuge” (art. 1328).
  • Registration in Spain: capitulaciones are mentioned on the marriage record in the Registro Civil, and, if they affect real property, noted in the Registro de la Propiedad (art. 1333).

Watch a short answer: Can a Florida prenup cover assets in another country?

Which Law Governs the Property Regime?

Spain is one of the Member States in the enhanced cooperation behind EU Regulation 2016/1103 (recital 11). For spouses who marry, or choose a law, after 29 January 2019 (art. 69(3)), the Regulation lets them choose the law of a State where either of them is habitually resident, or of either one’s nationality (art. 22(1)), in a writing “fechado y firmado por ambos cónyuges” (art. 23(1)). Without a choice, the law is that of “la primera residencia habitual común de los cónyuges tras la celebración del matrimonio” (art. 26(1)(a)). For earlier marriages, Spain’s Civil Code rules apply (art. 9.2), and capitulaciones are valid if they comply with the law governing the marriage’s effects or the law of either party’s nationality or habitual residence when signed (art. 9.3). A Florida prenup can include its own choice-of-law clause (§ 61.079(4)(a)7.); whether a Spanish notary, registry or court will give effect to it is a question for a lawyer in Spain.

Spain Is Not One System

Spain’s Civil Code applies “con pleno respeto a los derechos especiales o forales de las provincias o territorios en que están vigentes”, as supplementary law (art. 13.2). So the default for a Spanish spouse may depend on the region whose civil law applies to them. That is a question for a lawyer in Spain, and it is one more reason to put the couple’s own terms in writing.

Before or After the Wedding

Spain allows capitulaciones “antes o después de celebrado el matrimonio” (art. 1326), and they may “estipular, modificar o sustituir el régimen económico” (art. 1325). A change during the marriage “no perjudicará en ningún caso los derechos ya adquiridos por terceros” (art. 1317). Florida also has an after-the-wedding option: a postnuptial agreement. See Florida postnuptial agreements.

The Default: Sociedad de Gananciales

“A falta de capitulaciones o cuando éstas sean ineficaces, el régimen será el de la sociedad de gananciales” (art. 1316). Under it, “se hacen comunes para los cónyuges las ganancias o beneficios obtenidos indistintamente por cualquiera de ellos, que les serán atribuidos por mitad al disolverse aquella” (art. 1344).

A contrast worth noticing: 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 a flat in Spain is where the two systems can point in different directions, so the agreement should say how it is treated.

Capitulaciones Signed in Spain, in a Florida Divorce

  • 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.). Capitulaciones in an escritura pública are a written agreement; gananciales that apply by default under art. 1316 are not one.
  • Comity and public policy. Florida courts enforce foreign law “only to the extent called for under principles of comity,” and do not recognize it where it “would frustrate an established public policy of this state” (Gustafson v. Jensen, 515 So. 2d 1298, 1300 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987)).
  • What to bring. A certified copy of the escritura pública, the registry annotation, and a certified English translation. More detail: enforcing a prenup or postnup in a Florida divorce.

Disclosing Assets in Spain

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 Spanish assets, the schedules should give each property’s location and approximate value in dollars, any mortgage, company shareholdings, Spanish bank and pension accounts, and income from them, with translations where a party does not read Spanish.

Pazos Law Group advises on Florida law and does not give opinions on Spanish law. Where property is in Spain or the couple married or will marry there, we coordinate with the client’s lawyer or notary in Spain 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 Spain.

Frequently Asked Questions

We married in Spain without capitulaciones and now live in Florida. What applies to our property?

Under Spain’s Civil Code the default is the sociedad de gananciales (art. 1316), but regional civil law may apply instead (art. 13.2), and for marriages after 29 January 2019 the EU Regulation’s rules decide which law governs (Reg. 2016/1103 arts. 26, 69(3)). In a Florida divorce, Florida divides marital assets by equitable distribution (§ 61.075). A Florida postnuptial agreement can state in Florida terms how your property is classified. Pazos Law Group, a family law firm in Coral Gables serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, reviews these situations and drafts Florida postnups for couples who married in Spain, in English or Spanish: (305) 482-1262.

Can we sign capitulaciones in Spain after the wedding?

Yes. Spain’s Civil Code allows them “antes o después de celebrado el matrimonio” (art. 1326), in an escritura pública (art. 1327), noted on the marriage record and, for real property, in the Registro de la Propiedad (art. 1333). A lawyer or notary in Spain should confirm the steps.

Do we need one lawyer licensed in both Florida and Spain?

No. Florida law does not require it, and the work can be split between two lawyers who coordinate: a Florida lawyer drafts or reviews the Florida agreement under § 61.079, and a lawyer or notary in Spain handles any capitulaciones, which must be in an escritura pública (Código Civil art. 1327). Pazos Law Group advises on Florida law and does not give opinions on Spanish law.

Can a Florida prenup cover my flat in Spain?

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. In Spain, capitulaciones that affect real property are noted in the Registro de la Propiedad (art. 1333); a lawyer in Spain can confirm what, if anything, applies to a Florida agreement.

What is the sociedad de gananciales?

The default regime under Spain’s Civil Code when there are no valid capitulaciones (art. 1316): the gains or benefits obtained by either spouse become common and are divided in half when it ends (art. 1344).

Who can help with a Florida prenup or postnup involving Spain?

Pazos Law Group, in Coral Gables, drafts and reviews Florida prenups and postnups for couples with ties to Spain, 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

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