The Civil Code of the Philippines is Republic Act No. 386, approved on 18 June 1949. It runs from Article 1 to Article 2270 and is organised into a Preliminary Title and four Books: Persons, Property, the Different Modes of Acquiring Ownership, and Obligations and Contracts. The Civil Code supplies many of the Philippines’ foundational rules on persons, property, succession, obligations, contracts and damages, but a special statute may govern a particular transaction or dispute first. Finding the right one is usually the first step: the Book tells you which rules apply, and the rules tell you what has to be proved. Two cautions before you read any article. Parts of Book I were repealed by the Family Code in 1988, and several subjects in Books II and IV are now governed first by a special law — land registration, condominiums, instalment sales — with the Civil Code applying only where the special law is silent.
Quick Answer
The Civil Code (RA 386) has a Preliminary Title (Arts. 1–36) and four Books: Book I on Persons (Arts. 37–413), Book II on Property, Ownership and its Modifications (Arts. 414–711), Book III on the Different Modes of Acquiring Ownership (Arts. 712–1155), and Book IV on Obligations and Contracts (Arts. 1156–2270). Book I’s provisions on marriage and the family were repealed by the Family Code (Executive Order No. 209). Before relying on any article, check whether a special statute governs the transaction instead.
Current legal status of the Civil Code
Yes. Republic Act No. 386 remains a foundational Philippine law, but not every provision in its original text remains operative. The Family Code expressly repealed specified Titles of Book I, while later special statutes govern particular subjects such as registered land, condominiums, residential installment sales and domestic administrative adoption. Under Article 8 of the Civil Code, judicial decisions applying or interpreting the law form part of the Philippine legal system.
| Question | Start with |
|---|---|
| Marriage, nullity, legal separation or support | Family Code and later family laws |
| Domestic administrative adoption | Republic Act No. 11642 and its implementing rules |
| Registered land or title registration | Presidential Decree No. 1529 |
| Condominium ownership | Republic Act No. 4726 |
| Residential installment cancellation | Republic Act No. 6552 |
| Ordinary contract, debt or damages issue | Civil Code, subject to any applicable special law |
| Filing procedure or court jurisdiction | Rules of Court and current Supreme Court issuances |
The Preliminary Title and the four Books
| Part of the Code | Articles | What it governs |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Title | 1–36 | How laws take effect and apply, and the Human Relations articles that create liability for abusive or unjust conduct |
| Book I — Persons | 37–413 | Civil personality and capacity, citizenship and domicile, use of surnames, absence, emancipation and the civil register. The family-law Titles were repealed in 1988 |
| Book II — Property, Ownership and its Modifications | 414–711 | What counts as property, what an owner may do, co-ownership, possession, usufruct, easements, nuisance and the Registry of Property |
| Book III — Different Modes of Acquiring Ownership | 712–1155 | Occupation, intellectual creation, donation, succession and inheritance, and prescription — including the periods within which an action must be filed |
| Book IV — Obligations and Contracts | 1156–2270 | Obligations, contracts, the named contracts such as sale, lease, loan, agency, partnership and mortgage, quasi-contracts, quasi-delicts and damages |
Which Book answers which question
Readers rarely arrive knowing the Book number. They arrive with a problem. The mapping is usually this:
- A dispute about land, a boundary, a shared inheritance still undivided, or a neighbour — Book II, and our Property and Ownership hub.
- Who inherits and how much — Book III, Title IV, and our Succession and Inheritance hub.
- An agreement that was broken, a debt, a sale, a lease or a loan — Book IV, and our Obligations and Contracts hub.
- An accident, negligence, or a claim for moral damages — Book IV’s later Titles plus Articles 19 to 36, and our Damages and Civil Liability hub.
- A wrong entry in a birth certificate, a change of name, a missing person — Book I, and our Persons and Civil Status hub.
- Whether it is too late to sue, and where to file — Book III’s Title on prescription, and our Barangay, Courts and Civil Remedies hub.
How to read an article of the Civil Code
Most articles end with a number or a letter in parentheses. That notation is part of how the Code was drafted, and it tells you something useful about the provision you are reading.
- A number, such as (333) — the article corresponds to that article of the Civil Code of 1889, the Spanish Code that RA 386 replaced. Older decisions and commentaries may discuss the provision under the old number.
- A number followed by “a”, such as (365a) — the old provision was carried over with an amendment.
- (n) — the provision was new in 1949. There is no older counterpart, so pre-1950 jurisprudence will not address it.
Article 2270, the repealing clause, is what makes this notation matter: it repealed the parts of the Civil Code of 1889 still in force, and it also repealed the Code of Commerce provisions on sales, partnership, agency, loan, deposit and guaranty, which is why those contracts are now found in Book IV.
What the Civil Code no longer governs
An article can be printed in every edition of the Code and still be inoperative. Three limits matter most:
- The Family Code repealed specified Titles of Book I. Marriage, legal separation, property relations between spouses, paternity and filiation, and support are governed by Executive Order No. 209, particularly its repealing Article 254, as amended. Those subjects are covered on our sister site FamilyCode.ph.
- Special laws govern before the Code does. Registered land is governed first by Presidential Decree No. 1529, condominium units by Republic Act No. 4726, and residential instalment sales by Republic Act No. 6552. The Civil Code applies where the special law does not provide.
- Procedure is not in the Code. Which court hears a case, what must be filed, and the small claims threshold come from the Rules of Court and Supreme Court issuances, which are amended far more often than the Code.
Where to read authoritative copies and decisions
The full text of Republic Act No. 386 is published by the Arellano Law Foundation at LawPhil. Supreme Court decisions interpreting it are in the Supreme Court E-Library. Read the article itself before relying on any summary, including ours — and check whether a later statute has amended it.
Book I decision guides: The Persons and Civil Status hub now connects the codal text to practical guides on capacity, the beginning of personality, the effect of death, domicile, and civil-status evidence. For short questions and answers across the whole Code, see the civil law FAQs and the civil law bar exam questions.
Frequently asked questions
How many articles does the Civil Code of the Philippines have?
It runs from Article 1 to Article 2270. Article 2270 is the repealing clause; the articles immediately before it are transitional provisions dealing with situations that straddled the old Code and the new one.
Is the Civil Code the same as the Family Code?
No. The Family Code (Executive Order No. 209) is a separate law that replaced specified family-law Titles of Book I. Marriage, legal separation, nullity, spousal property relations, filiation, custody and support are principally governed by the Family Code and later special laws. Domestic administrative adoption is now governed primarily by Republic Act No. 11642 and its implementing rules, not by the repealed Civil Code provisions.
Which Book covers inheritance?
Book III, because succession is one of the modes of acquiring ownership. Article 712 lists them: occupation, intellectual creation, law, donation, testate and intestate succession, certain contracts followed by delivery, and prescription.
Does the Civil Code say how long I have to file a case?
Yes — the Title on prescription at the end of Book III sets the periods, and they differ by the kind of action. Under Article 1144, an action on a written contract, an obligation created by law, or a judgment generally must be brought within ten years from accrual. Article 1141 provides a thirty-year period for real actions over immovables, while Article 1143 identifies rights not extinguished by prescription, including the right to demand a right of way and the right to abate a nuisance.
Is the Civil Code of the Philippines still in force?
Yes. Republic Act No. 386 remains in force, but specified provisions have been repealed or superseded by later laws. Always check the current special law and Supreme Court decisions governing the subject.
When did the Civil Code take effect?
The Civil Code took effect on 30 August 1950. Article 2 provided that it would take effect one year after completion of its publication.
What happens when a special law governs the same subject?
The special law ordinarily governs the specific subject, while the Civil Code may apply suppletorily where the special law is silent and the provisions are compatible. The exact relationship depends on the statutes and controlling jurisprudence.
Do Supreme Court decisions form part of Philippine civil law?
Article 8 of the Civil Code states that judicial decisions applying or interpreting the laws or the Constitution form part of the Philippine legal system. A statutory article should therefore be read together with controlling jurisprudence.
Where can I read the Civil Code and related decisions?
Use the Official Gazette for government-published materials, LawPhil for an accessible copy of Republic Act No. 386, and the Supreme Court E-Library for decisions interpreting the Code.
Why does Article 2 look different in different online copies?
Some copies display older wording. Executive Order No. 200 amended Article 2 to include publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines. Check later amendments before relying on an online copy. Our Preliminary Title reference separates the displayed statutory text from current-law notes.
Sources and Legal Citations
- Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386 (approved 18 June 1949), Arts. 1–2270, full text at lawphil.net. Supports: the Book and Title structure, the article ranges, the drafting notation, Arts. 712, 1141, 1143, 1144 and the repealing clause in Art. 2270. Status: verified against the published text.
- Family Code of the Philippines, Executive Order No. 209 (1987), as amended, Art. 254 (government-hosted text, PDF page 59). Supports: the express repeal of specified Titles of Book I. See Francisco v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 102330, 25 November 1998, discussion and footnote 7, which identifies Article 254 and the Titles III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XI and XV. Earlier law may remain relevant to vested or accrued rights; check the material dates.
- Property Registration Decree, Presidential Decree No. 1529. Supports: that registered land is governed first by the registration statute.
- Condominium Act, Republic Act No. 4726. Supports: that condominium ownership is governed by a special law.
- Realty Installment Buyer Protection Act, Republic Act No. 6552. Supports: that residential instalment sales are governed by a special law.
Sources rechecked as of 11 September 2026.
Family Code repeal reference checked on 13 October 2026 against Francisco v. Court of Appeals. This scoped check does not certify every provision of the original Civil Code as currently operative.
Disclaimer
This page is general legal information, not legal advice. Civil disputes turn on specific facts, documents, valuation and the law in force at the relevant time. CivilLaw.PH is independent and is not a government website, a court, a registry or a law firm. For a decision that affects your property, money or family, consult a Philippine lawyer or the Public Attorney’s Office if you qualify for its assistance.