Shared custody configuration in Spanish law

Abstract

The paper deals with the specific organization of the shared custody regime in Spanish Law. This requires a separate analysis of two aspects: how the physical organization will be and how the time will be distributed among the parents. With regard to the first question, there are two possible alternatives for the physical organization of the shared custody regime: that the children remain in the same home and the parents rotate, or that the children rotate between their parents' homes. Both possibilities are analyzed, considering the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as their practical repercussions, through the study of the judgements of our courts. With regard to the second aspect to be analyzed – the distribution of time between parents, as we know, shared custody does not necessarily imply an equal distribution of time, although it does seem to be similar, as this is the main data that allows it to be differentiated from an exclusive custody regime that involves a wide regime of visits for the non-custodial parent. The paper attempts to determine the necessary time requirement to be able to speak of shared custody and addresses the issue of the specific duration of periods of alternation – which may be long and extended in time or, on the contrary, short and frequent. For this, once again, the jurisprudence emanating from our courts is taken into account, as well as the doctrine of the authors who have worked on this issue.

Keywords

• Family Law
• Civil Law
• Spanish Law
• shared custody configuration