Text of the provision
Art. 31. A marriage in articulo mortis between passengers or crew members may also be solemnized by a ship captain or by an airplane pilot not only while the ship is at sea or the plane is in flight, but also during stopovers at ports of call.
(74a)
Family Code of the Philippines, Executive Order No. 209, approved July 6, 1987. The Code took effect on August 3, 1988 (Republic v. Orbecido III, G.R. No. 154380, October 5, 2005). Reproduced in full.
What this article means
A ship captain or airplane pilot may solemnize an articulo mortis marriage between passengers or crew members — and that authority is not limited to while the vessel is at sea or the aircraft in flight; it extends to stopovers at ports of call as well.
Related provisions
- Article 27 — the articulo mortis rule this authority serves.
- Article 32 — the parallel authority for a military commander.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on the Article 31 ship-captain/airplane-pilot authority will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.
Note. The text of the provision above is reproduced in full from the official enactment. The annotation, case summaries and commentary around it are the work of Vivas & Nobles Law Office and are general legal information, not legal advice. Whether this provision applies to a particular marriage depends on facts that only a lawyer reviewing your situation can assess.