Romantic relationship in São Tomé and Príncipe

Dating and partnership practices in São Tomé and Príncipe are mainly informal. The local terms namoro, relacionamento, união livre and união consensual describe different forms of romantic partnership, while noivado means engagement. Available evidence does not establish a countrywide dating-app pattern, formal couple-counselling pathway or uniform courtship ritual. The census figures vary considerably by district. Among people recorded in stable unions, união de facto represented 93.5% in Caué, 87.3% in Lemba, 84.5% in Cantagalo, 67.4% in Príncipe and 74.4% in Água-Grande. These figures describe household or relationship status in the census; they do not by themselves establish a legally recognized união de facto. The Family Code under Law No. 19/2018 distinguishes casamento civil from união de facto. A união de facto is a stable, exclusive and serious cohabiting relationship between two people of different sexes who are legally able to marry and are not married to someone else. Legal recognition generally requires at least two uninterrupted years of cohabitation, proof by legally accepted means, a declaration of honour from both partners, two witnesses and complete birth certificates. If one partner does not cooperate, the other can make a unilateral declaration. The Conservador do Registo Civil at the partners' place of residence decides the application within a maximum of 45 days and records the result in a dedicated register. Recognition has retroactive effect from the start of the union. A recognized união de facto normally uses comunhão de bens adquiridos, meaning that property acquired during the relationship is generally treated as jointly acquired under the applicable regime. Recognized partners receive protection concerning the family home, social protection after a partner's death, benefits related to workplace accidents or occupational disease and joint income declarations. The direct DGRN fee for recognition is not published. An unrecognized união de facto can still lead to court claims after separation or death, including maintenance, a meação claim for jointly acquired property and a right to remain in the home. The usual claim period is three years. A surviving partner of a deceased owner generally has a five-year right to live in the home, with possible extension. Meação means the partner's share in jointly owned property, and claiming it can create a presumption that related debts were shared. A união de facto ends through death or the decision of one or both partners. Casamento civil is a voluntary union under the current Family Code and requires both partners to be at least 18; the current Code provides no minor exception. Each partner gives free, personal and express consent before the Conservador do Registo Civil, with two witnesses. One partner may participate through procuração, or power of attorney. The proceedings and ceremony take place in Portuguese. The preliminary public notices check for legal obstacles, and the marriage should be celebrated within 90 days after authorization. The DGRN application normally requires an atestado de residência, birth certificates, valid copies of B.I. identity cards and six 25-line sheets. The published national fee is 2,000 Dbs for normal service or 2,600 Dbs for urgent service. Outside normal hours, the listed fees are 2,600 or 3,380 Dbs; outside the Conservatória with transport, 3,000 or 3,900 Dbs; and outside the Conservatória without transport, 3,200 or 4,160 Dbs. Higher tariffs apply when one partner is foreign, and the exact processing time is not published. Marriage gives spouses equal rights and duties, including respect, fidelity, cohabitation, cooperation and assistance. Spouses decide their residence jointly. Without a prenuptial agreement, the default property regime is comunhão de adquiridos. A marital or property agreement can be made before a notary or the Conservador and affects third parties only after registration. A promise of marriage does not create a right to force the wedding. Depending on the circumstances, a person may have to return gifts or compensate reasonable wedding expenses when the engagement was ended culpably and without good reason; such a claim expires after one year. Same-sex consensual sexual conduct is not criminalized, but the Family Code does not provide casamento or união de facto recognition for same-sex couples. Comprehensive statutory protection against discrimination based on LGBTQI+ status is not expressly established in the available legal framework. Partners can request divórcio por mútuo consentimento, or divorce by mutual agreement, at any time. The Conservatória can handle it when there are no minor children or when parental responsibility has already been regulated by a court; the Conservador calls a conference within a maximum of 30 days. Other cases go to court, including contested divorce based on breaches of marital duties or ruptura da vida em comum. Relevant grounds include two continuous years of separation, one year when the other spouse objects, a mental change lasting more than three years or absence for at least two years. Separação judicial de pessoas e bens ends cohabitation and assistance duties but does not end the marriage; it can be converted into divorce after two years, or earlier by joint request. Health centres provide family-planning services, modern contraception, condoms and STI or HIV prevention. HIV and syphilis testing and contraceptive distribution by the Ministério da Saúde are documented, and adolescents can access these services without parental consent. MICS 2019 reported modern contraceptive prevalence of 46%. Violência baseada no género, or VBG, and domestic violence fall within the relationship-safety framework governed by Laws No. 11/2008 and 12/2008 and the Penal Code. MICS 2019 found that 18% of women and 11% of men aged 15 to 49 accepted partner violence under at least one stated condition; this measures attitudes, not the number of violent relationships. A person can report publicly through 150, the Centro de Aconselhamento contra Violência Doméstica (CACVD) or the police. Support may include psychological and legal counselling, psychosocial and medical care, protection or shelter and referral to justice services through CACVD, Polícia Nacional, Polícia Judiciária, the Gabinete da Família in the Autonomous Region of Príncipe and health, justice and social-service providers. National referral flowcharts published in 2025 set out pathways between these services.