Florida Prenup With a Venezuelan Spouse or Property in Venezuela: Capitulaciones Matrimoniales, Comunidad de Gananciales and Disclosure (2026)

By Nadia Pazos, Family Law Attorney, Pazos Law Group · Updated October 14, 2026

A Venezuelan fiancé(e), an apartment in Caracas, a family business in Venezuela, or a couple who married there and now lives in Miami or Doral: each raises the question of how Venezuela’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 Venezuelan 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)
• Venezuela: “El matrimonio, en lo que se relaciona con los bienes, se rige por las convenciones de las partes y por la ley” (art. 141). “Las capitulaciones matrimoniales deberán constituirse por instrumento otorgado ante un Registrador Subalterno antes de la celebración del matrimonio; pero podrán hacerse constar por documento auténtico que deberá ser inscrito en la Oficina Subalterna de Registro de la jurisdicción del lugar donde se celebre el matrimonio, antes de la celebración de éste, so pena de nulidad” (art. 143; Civil Code text as quoted by the TSJ).
• Limits in Venezuela: “Serán nulos los pactos que los esposos hicieren contra las leyes o las buenas costumbres, o en detrimento de los derechos y obligaciones que respectivamente tienen en la familia” (art. 142).
• Where to register: in 2026 the Constitutional Chamber read art. 143 non-restrictively: capitulaciones may be registered “ante cualquier órgano registrador de esa localidad” (TSJ Sala Constitucional, 9 April 2026, exp. 24-1117).

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

Before or During the Marriage: the 2021 Change

The Civil Code’s text speaks of capitulaciones executed before the wedding (art. 143). In sentencia n.° 652 of 26 November 2021, the Constitutional Chamber of the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia set a binding interpretation, quoted again by the Chamber in 2026:

• capitulaciones “podrán celebrarse válidamente antes y durante el matrimonio; y así también, podrán ser reformadas durante el matrimonio y aún dejarse sin efecto”;
• they “nunca tendrán efectos retroactivos sino hacia el futuro, y entrarán en vigencia una vez registradas conforme lo establecido en los artículos 143 y siguientes del Código Civil”;
• if they are signed or reformed abroad, “tendrán efectos en Venezuela una vez cumplidos los requisitos previstos en los artículos 143 y 145 del Código Civil.”

So a couple already married can now look at capitulaciones in Venezuela as well as a Florida postnuptial agreement. A lawyer in Venezuela should confirm the registry steps.

The Default: Comunidad de Gananciales

“Entre marido y mujer, si no hubiere convención en contrario, son comunes de por mitad, las ganancias o beneficios que se obtengan durante el matrimonio” (art. 148, as quoted by the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia).

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 an apartment in Venezuela is where the two systems can point in different directions, so the agreement should say how it is treated.

Which Law Governs the Property Regime?

A Florida prenup can include its own choice-of-law clause (§ 61.079(4)(a)7.). Which law Venezuela applies to a couple’s property, and whether a Venezuelan registry or court will give effect to a Florida agreement, are questions a lawyer in Venezuela should confirm.

Capitulaciones Signed in Venezuela, 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.). Registered capitulaciones are a written agreement; the comunidad de gananciales that applies by default under art. 148 is 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 registered capitulaciones and a certified English translation. More detail: enforcing a prenup or postnup in a Florida divorce.

Disclosing Venezuelan 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 Venezuelan assets, the schedules should give each property’s location and approximate value in dollars, any mortgage, company shareholdings, Venezuelan 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 Venezuelan law. Where property is in Venezuela or the couple married or will marry there, we coordinate with the client’s Venezuelan lawyer 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Sources & Related Reading

• Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, Sala Constitucional, 9 April 2026 (exp. 24-1117), applying sentencia n.° 652 of 26 November 2021; Código Civil arts. 141–143 as quoted by the TSJ — TSJ (official)
• Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, Sala de Casación Social (8 December 2021): Código Civil art. 148 as quoted by the TSJ — TSJ (official)
• Fla. Stat. § 61.079, Premarital agreements — Florida Senate
• Fla. Stat. § 61.075, Equitable distribution — Florida Senate
• Enforcing a Prenup or Postnup in a Florida Divorce
• International Prenups in Florida
• Is a Foreign or Out-of-State Prenup Valid in Florida?
• Florida Prenup With Colombian Ties
• Esta página en español

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