Civil Code, Article 884 — Rules on Conditional Obligations Apply

What this article means

Conditions imposed by the testator upon the heirs are governed by the rules on conditional obligations in all matters not provided for in this Section.

The rules on conditional obligations referenced here are found in the Civil Code’s general law on obligations, which distinguish a suspensive condition — one that postpones acquisition of a right until it happens — from a resolutory condition, which extinguishes an already-acquired right once it occurs. A bequest “to my nephew if he passes the bar” illustrates a suspensive condition. Article 884 borrows that framework only for gaps this Section does not itself fill, since the articles that follow separately address related but distinct concepts, such as the mode and the designation of a day or time.

Questions about this provision

• My father put several conditions in his will — are the rules on conditional obligations in the Civil Code the same ones used to decide whether I have complied?

Related provisions

• Article 883 — When the Mode Cannot Be Fulfilled Exactly.
• Article 885 — Designation of a Day or Time.

Cases interpreting this article

• Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.