2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THIRTY-ONE - Civil Code (§§ 1 — 5305) › Subtitle 1 - Persons (§§ 81 — 984) › PART III - Marriage (§§ 221 — 301) › Chapter 31 - Requisites Necessary to Contract Marriage (§§ 231 — 265) › § 236 - Persons who suffer from diseases or developmental deficiencies.—Medical certificates required for marriage certificate or license

It is hereby prohibited for the officials in charge of the Vital Statistics Registry to issue marriage certificates or licenses to men or women who suffer from the diseases indicated in Section 1 of this Act. Neither shall any marriage certificate or license be issued when both contracting parties fail to present a medical certificate to the Vital Statistics Registrar showing that neither of them suffers from the diseases indicated in § 235 of this title. The contracting parties shall present the results of the clinical laboratory tests to detect sexually transmitted diseases such as VDRL, chlamydia, and gonorrhea, to the Vital Statistics Registrar; the Registrar shall record the presentation of said test results on the marriage certificate, and return such results to the contracting parties. Any laboratory test results that are positive shall be withheld by the State Epidemiologist once the Vital Statistics Registry has been authorized to issue the marriage license. The State Epidemiologist shall determine, to the best of his/her knowledge, which positive laboratory results call for investigation, follow-up, and treatment. The State Epidemiologist may dispose of those not deemed necessary either at the time or after a certain period of time. Municipal medical welfare physicians or those who are employees of the Commonwealth Government shall be required to issue the aforementioned certificates to indigent persons free of charge. The medical certificate shall be valid for a term of ten (10) days from the date of issue, and once such term has elapsed, no marriage shall be contracted without a new medical certificate.
For purposes of this section, a medical certificate shall be accepted in Puerto Rico as long as it includes all the tests required for marriage at the parties’ place of residence, and the laboratory tests required in our jurisdiction shall not be required from Puerto Rico male and female nonresidents who wish to marry in the Island; however, foreign citizens may not stay in Puerto Rico longer than the term established in their visa granted by the corresponding Federal agency to enter a United States territory. Any Puerto Rico nonresident who wishes to marry in the Island shall submit to the Vital Statistics Registry a photo identification issued by the government of the country or state in which he/she resides, a passport or a voter registration card, and a copy of a sworn statement setting forth that:
(a) The parties are Puerto Rico nonresidents;
(b) the purpose of their visit is contracting marriage, and
(c) if a foreign individual, that they shall not stay in Puerto Rico longer than the term established in their visa granted by the corresponding federal agency to enter a United States territory.
History —May 14, 1937, No. 133, p. 290, § 2; Apr. 13, 1938, No. 22, p. 132, § 2; Apr. 26, 1939, No. 50, p. 408; June 3, 1983, No. 76, p. 159, § 1; June 13, 2001, No. 42, § 1; Dec. 13, 2007, No. 193, § 2; Aug. 11, 2010, No. 127, § 2.