Short answer. Under Article 389 of the Civil Code, administration of a missing person's property ends when the absentee reappears personally or through an agent; when death is proved and heirs appear; or when a third party produces a proper document of acquisition. The administrator stops immediately in each case.
What the law says
The administration shall cease in any of the following cases: (1) When the absentee appears personally or by means of an agent; (2) When the death of the absentee is proved and his testate or intestate heirs appear; (3) When a third person appears, showing by a proper document that he has acquired the absentee's property by purchase or other title.
Civil Code, Article 389 — When Administration Ceases. Read the full provision →
First ground: the absentee reappears
The most natural ending to an absentee administration is the absentee's reappearance. Article 389 provides that administration ceases when the missing person appears personally or by means of an agent. Personal appearance is self-explanatory. Appearance through an agent requires a duly authorized representative who can demonstrate authority to act on behalf of the returning absentee. Once either form of reappearance is established, the administrator's function ends: the property belongs to the owner, who is now present and capable of managing it directly or through the chosen representative.
Second ground: death is proved and heirs appear
Administration also ends when the death of the absentee is proved and the absentee's heirs — whether under a will or under the intestate succession rules — come forward. Proof of death may come from a death certificate, a court declaration of presumptive death, witness testimony, or other competent evidence. Once death is established and the heirs are identified, the absentee estate becomes part of the succession process. The administrator's role is replaced by the estate settlement process — the heirs take over their right to the inheritance.
Third ground: a transferee appears with proper documents
The third ground addresses a transferee: a person who shows by proper document that they acquired the absentee's property by purchase, donation, or any other valid title. The document — a notarized deed of sale, a deed of donation, or similar instrument — must establish a legitimate transfer that predates or otherwise overrides the administration. When such a person comes forward with adequate proof, the administrator ceases to have authority over the portion of the property properly belonging to the transferee.
What happens after administration ceases
Article 389 states the consequence plainly: the administrator shall cease in the performance of his office, and the property shall be at the disposal of those who may have a right thereto. The transition is immediate — there is no grace period or continuation of the administrator's authority after one of the three grounds is established. The administrator must stop acting on the absentee's behalf and must account for and turn over the property to the person or persons now entitled to it. This final accounting and turnover obligation brings the administration formally to a close.