Private International Law Rules Regarding Personal Status in Colombia: a System in Need of an Overhaul

This article contains the findings of a research aimed at studying the Colombian private international law rules regarding the status of individuals and foreign commercial companies. Such rules are basically found in Colombia’s Civil and Commercial Codes. The research also considered the existing rules in other Latin American countries. In this sense, the research methodology consisted of systematically locating and organizing the rules on this subject that are in force in the legal system of Colombia and in those of other countries in the region, and then proceeding to a general comparative analysis. The overview offered by the article allows the identification of some weaknesses of Colombian private international law. Based on this, it is concluded that it is necessary to review the Colombian rules that regulate the law applicable to the personal status of both individuals and foreign commercial companies.