Juridical Capacity vs Capacity to Act: What Is the Difference?
Juridical capacity is the fitness to hold rights and duties; capacity to act is the power to exercise rights through legally effective acts.
Persons and Civil Status
WHAT HAPPENED? CHOOSE YOUR NEXT STEP
• An office asks for proof of status — Find the required record. Prepare the document checklist.
• A birth record appears wrong — Check whether administrative correction fits. Compare the correction route.
• Someone may need a representative — Check capacity and authority for this act. Understand who may act.
Use this hub to understand who the law recognizes as a person, when legal personality begins and ends, who can act independently, and how identity and civil-registry problems are resolved. Start with legal personality, then move to capacity, domicile, civil status, names, or birth-record correction.
START HERE — PERSONALITY AND CAPACITY
• Juridical Capacity vs Capacity to Act — holding rights versus exercising them personally.
• When Civil Personality Begins — birth and the protection of a conceived child.
• When Civil Personality Ends — death, rights, obligations, and the estate.
• Natural vs Juridical Persons — individuals, corporations, partnerships, and legal entities.
CONCEIVED CHILD AND BIRTH
• Rights of a Conceived Child — favorable civil rights before birth, subject to statutory conditions.
• Birth and Civil Personality — when personality legally begins.
• Inheritance and Succession — when conception and live birth affect heirship.
CAPACITY TO CONTRACT AND ACT
• Who Has Limited Capacity to Contract? — minority, disputed capacity, representation, and voidable contracts.
• What Makes a Contract Valid? — consent, object, and cause.
• Void vs Voidable vs Unenforceable — classify the defect before choosing a remedy.
DOMICILE, RESIDENCE, AND LEGAL HOME
• Domicile vs Residence — physical presence, intent, and why the distinction matters.
• Domicile of Juridical Persons — constitutive documents, registration, and principal functions.
CIVIL STATUS AND PROOF
• What Is Civil Status and How Is It Proven? — civil-registry records, annotations, and supporting evidence.
• Change of Name vs Correction of Entry — different remedies for different problems.
• Correct a Birth Certificate Without Court — the administrative route under RA 9048 and RA 10172.
• Passport name and civil-record questions — review the existing guide to names, children’s applications and travel restrictions.
NAMES AND CIVIL-REGISTRY CORRECTIONS
• Choose the Correct Name or Registry Remedy — clerical, administrative, or substantial change.
• Administrative Birth-Certificate Correction — who files, where to file, evidence, and limits.
• Family Status and Relationships — marriage, legitimacy, filiation, adoption, custody, and support on FamilyCode.ph.
LEGAL ENTITIES
• Natural Persons vs Juridical Persons — separate personality and legal consequences.
• Capacity and Representation — who holds rights and who may act.
• Authority to Sign Contracts — individual and organizational authority questions.
Core legal framework: Civil Code Book I, including Articles 37–51 and 407–413; Republic Act No. 6809 on the age of majority; Act No. 3753 on civil registration; Republic Act No. 9048 and Republic Act No. 10172 on administrative corrections; the Rules of Court; and applicable special laws.
In the Code: Book I — Persons. Marriage, annulment, property relations between spouses, adoption, custody, filiation and support are governed principally by the Family Code and are covered on FamilyCode.ph.
Quick answers: See the Persons and Civil Status FAQ for short, cited answers to the most common questions in this hub.