Marriage and the 50-50 Property Rule

I live in California. The marriage laws here require that assets acquired after marriage are subject to equal distribution in the event of a divorce, no matter who acquired what. That is fair enough. Even so, some people choose to have a pre-nuptual agreement made up anyway.

Does anyone know how the Dominican Laws governing marriage treat assets before marriage or after marriage. And should a pre-nuptual agreement be considered?

Facts and opinions greatly appreciated.

Dominican Law is similar to California Law: assets acquired during marriage are split 50-50 between spouses. However, moveable assets (in essence, anything but real estate) acquired before marriage are also split 50-50. Spouses of course have the option to sign a prenuptial arrangement changing this.

Thank you for an informative response, Mr. Guzman. May I bring an unsigned pre-nuptual agreement to the Dominican Republic, translated into Spanish, and have it take effect in front of a notary? Will it be as valid as one prepared by an attorney in the Dominican Republic?

Irv

The prenuptial agreement must comply with Dominican law and must be entered into in notarial form here in the Dominican Republic. I would advise you to consult with an attorney/notary of your choosing in the Dominican Republic.