---
title: "What Happens to Pre-Marriage Assets in a Quebec Divorce? ✦ Goldwater Droit"
canonical_url: "https://goldwaterdroit.com/en/faqs/what-happens-to-assets-i-owned-before-marriage-quebec"
last_updated: "2026-09-15T22:02:53.402Z"
locale: en
meta:
  description: "In Quebec, assets owned before marriage are generally private property under art. 450 C.c.Q., except family-patrimony assets used by the family."
  "og:description": "In Quebec, assets owned before marriage are generally private property under art. 450 C.c.Q., except family-patrimony assets used by the family."
  "og:title": "What Happens to Pre-Marriage Assets in a Quebec Divorce?"
---

# What happens to assets I owned before marriage in a Quebec divorce?

Under the default partnership of acquests, property you owned before the marriage is generally treated as your 'private property' (biens propres) under article 450 of the Civil Code of Québec and is not shared, although income that private property produces during the marriage can be classified as acquests and shared. Growth in value raises fact-specific questions: an increase that is simply appreciation of a private asset generally stays private, while income or interest earned during the marriage is usually an acquest. The important exception is the family patrimony: assets on its list—such as the family residence used by the family—are shared by value regardless of when they were acquired. So pre-marriage assets are often protectable, but not automatically, and the classification details matter.

Civil Code of Québec, art. 450 (private property under the partnership of acquests) Civil Code of Québec, arts. 414–426 (family patrimony)