The liquidation of a community of acquisitions is the process by which the partnership formed between the spouses during the marriage is first dissolved and then liquidated. Under this regime, all assets and gains obtained by either spouse during the marriage are considered common and must be divided equally upon dissolution of the partnership, whether by divorce, legal separation or death of one of the spouses.
This procedure consists of several steps, starting with the identification and valuation of all jointly owned assets. It is necessary to differentiate between a jointly owned asset (bien ganancial) and separate property (bien privativo), i.e. property which belonged to each spouse before the marriage or which was acquired by inheritance or gift. The complexity of this task requires detailed technical and legal knowledge to ensure that the division of assets is fair and in accordance with the law. Once the assets have been identified and valued, they are divided, either by mutual agreement between the spouses or through a contentious procedure if there is no agreement.