Who owns what in a marriage in Sri Lanka?
In Sri Lanka a marriage under the general law is in community of property unless the spouses sign an antenuptial contract, while Kandyan and Muslim law have their own rules.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
What applies by default
Under the general law, which comes from Roman-Dutch law, the spouses' property is merged into one community unless they exclude it by contract. Kandyan and Muslim personal laws differ.
When the marriage ends in divorce
The community is divided, and separate property goes back to its owner.
A marriage contract
An antenuptial contract can exclude the community and must be in a formal document.
What stays your own, and gifts
Property from before the marriage, gifts and inheritances stay personal.
If one spouse is a foreigner
Which law applies depends on the spouses' community, so get local advice.
Understand the legal system first
Sri Lanka belongs to the Mixed: civil and common law family. Family law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.
Read the Sri Lanka legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Official sources
Take it further
The family and property rules of a European country in one PDF, with questions for a local lawyer.
Set the property rules before the marriage, in your own terms.
For couples who live together without marrying.
Marriage, divorce, custody and support, step by step.
Divide property and settle the terms in writing.
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s marital property guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.
