Sign Here to Start Dating

In our last article, we shed light on the união estável. This week, it’s all about the contrato de namoro or dating agreement. Yes, in Brazil, signing a contract with your significant other - as awkward as it may sound - is an actual thing.

A namoro isn't a legal status. Rather, think of it as a phase of the relationship before engagement or marriage. But unlike união estável, there’s no intention to form a family...at least not yet. And it may be wise to put that in writing to avoid misunderstandings later on.

A dating agreement establishes ground rules with respect to the relationship. It often makes clear that the parties are only dating and that there’s no intention to create joint property or inheritance rights. The agreement can be done privately, with or without registration in a notary office, or it can be done in the form of a public deed.

While still useful, actions have more significance than what’s written in a dating agreement. For example, an agreement could be disregarded if you and your partner tried to have a baby. In fact, this happened in a case before the State Court of São Paulo. The court found that the couple was not just dating because they intended to form a family.

Before your relationship in Brazil gets too serious, consider the consequences. You might want to declare a união estável or sign a contrato de namoro. After all, there’s nothing more important than protecting your assets.