"There is no such thing as a "common law" wife in the Dominican Republic. Living together with a woman is never equivalent to a normal marriage.
However, certain provisions in the Labor Code, the Minors Code and the Criminal Code acknowledge that living together has legal consequences. For example, a worker has the right to a few days off work if his concubine gives birth to his child; domestic violence to a concubine is treated the same as domestic violence to a wife. Recently, on October 17, 2001, a Supreme Court decision gave a surviving concubine the right to sue for the wrongful death of her companion in an automobile accident under very restrictive conditions: a) the couple must have lived as if they were husband and wife, in a public relationship, not hidden or secret; b) the relationship must be stable and long-lasting; c) the relationship must be monogamous and non-adulterous since its origins ; and d) the couple should be of different sexes. The ruling goes on to say expressly that "marriage and extra matrimonial companionship are not . . equivalent realities?.
"No, she has no legal rights over property belonging to her companion. Golo's warning is appropriate though. The law as it stands today gives no property rights to the concubine; however, you cannot guarantee that courts will not adopt in the future a doctrine allowing division of "companionship" assets...or that Congress will not pass new legislation providing for division of assets."
An update:
No common law marriage law yet. However, courts have already started to order the division of "companionship" assets between "companions" ("compa?eros").
