Who owns what in a marriage in Uruguay?
Uruguay's default is a conjugal partnership of the gains acquired during the marriage, and spouses can choose another regime by agreement.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
What applies by default
Property acquired during the marriage is shared, and each keeps what they owned before and what they receive by gift or inheritance.
When the marriage ends in divorce
The partnership of gains is liquidated and divided equally.
A marriage contract
Spouses can make a marriage agreement before the wedding, and a court may need to approve a change afterwards.
What stays your own, and gifts
Property from before the marriage, gifts and inheritances stay personal.
If one spouse is a foreigner
The country has its own rules on which law applies. Get local advice if one spouse is a foreigner or the couple live abroad.
Understand the legal system first
Uruguay belongs to the Civil law family. Family law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.
Read the Uruguay 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.
