Lei nº 14.713 de 2023 — Risco de violência doméstica como impedimento à guarda compartilhada¶

Jurisdiction: Brazil · Citation: Lei nº 14.713, de 30 de outubro de 2023 · Authoritative source: planalto.gov.br

The 2023 reform that carves out a violência-doméstica exception to the Brazilian guarda compartilhada (shared custody) presumption. Operates by amending Código Civil art. 1.584, § 2º and inserting new CPC art. 699-A — requiring the family-court judge to expressly ask the parties and the Ministério Público about domestic-violence risk before the mandatory mediation-and-conciliation hearing. This is the most-significant 2023 Brazilian family-law reform and reshapes the procedural starting point for every contested-custody matter post-31 October 2023.

PA-relevance is bidirectional: (a) the reform protects victims of genuine domestic violence by giving them a procedural override against shared-custody imposition; (b) the same mechanism can be weaponised by alienating parents to block shared custody via unfounded DV allegations. The Brazilian Lei 12.318/2010 da Alienação Parental (PA codification) remains in force in parallel — practitioners must navigate the interaction.

Verbatim text (current consolidated)¶

LEI Nº 14.713, DE 30 DE OUTUBRO DE 2023

Altera as Leis nºs 10.406, de 10 de janeiro de 2002 (Código Civil), 13.105, de 16 de março de 2015 (Código de Processo Civil), para estabelecer o risco de violência doméstica ou familiar como causa impeditiva ao exercício da guarda compartilhada, bem como para impor ao juiz o dever de indagar previamente o Ministério Público e as partes sobre situações de violência doméstica ou familiar que envolvam o casal ou os filhos.

O PRESIDENTE DA REPÚBLICA Faço saber que o Congresso Nacional decreta e eu sanciono a seguinte Lei:

Art. 1º O § 2º do art. 1.584 da Lei nº 10.406, de 10 de janeiro de 2002 (Código Civil), passa a vigorar com a seguinte redação:

"Art. 1.584. ............................................................................

§ 2º Quando não houver acordo entre a mãe e o pai quanto à guarda do filho, encontrando-se ambos os genitores aptos a exercer o poder familiar, será aplicada a guarda compartilhada, salvo se um dos genitores declarar ao magistrado que não deseja a guarda da criança ou do adolescente ou quando houver elementos que evidenciem a probabilidade de risco de violência doméstica ou familiar. (NR)"

Art. 2º A Lei nº 13.105, de 16 de março de 2015 (Código de Processo Civil), passa a vigorar acrescida do seguinte art. 699-A:

"Art. 699-A. Nas ações de guarda, antes de iniciada a audiência de mediação e conciliação de que trata o art. 695 deste Código, o juiz indagará às partes e ao Ministério Público se há risco de violência doméstica ou familiar, fixando o prazo de 5 (cinco) dias para a apresentação de prova ou de indícios pertinentes."

Art. 3º Esta Lei entra em vigor na data de sua publicação.

Brasília, 30 de outubro de 2023; 202º da Independência e 135º da República.

English working translation¶

LAW No. 14.713, OF OCTOBER 30, 2023

Amends Laws Nos. 10.406, of January 10, 2002 (Civil Code), and 13.105, of March 16, 2015 (Code of Civil Procedure), to establish the risk of domestic or family violence as an impediment to the exercise of shared custody, and to impose on the judge the duty to previously inquire of the Public Prosecutor's Office and the parties about situations of domestic or family violence involving the couple or the children.

Article 1. § 2 of Article 1,584 of Law No. 10,406, of January 10, 2002 (Civil Code), shall now read:

"Article 1,584. (...) § 2. When there is no agreement between the mother and the father as to the custody of the child, both parents being apt to exercise family power, shared custody shall be applied, unless one of the parents declares to the judge that he or she does not wish to have custody of the child or adolescent, OR WHEN THERE ARE ELEMENTS THAT EVIDENCE THE PROBABILITY OF RISK OF DOMESTIC OR FAMILY VIOLENCE. (NR)"

Article 2. Law No. 13,105, of March 16, 2015 (Code of Civil Procedure), shall include the following Article 699-A:

"Article 699-A. In custody actions, before the mediation and conciliation hearing referred to in Article 695 of this Code begins, the judge shall inquire of the parties and the Public Prosecutor's Office whether there is a risk of domestic or family violence, setting a period of 5 (five) days for the presentation of relevant evidence or indications."

Article 3. This Law enters into force on the date of its publication.

Why this matters for PA¶

Substantive change to art. 1.584, § 2 CC. Pre-2023, the only grounds to displace the guarda compartilhada presumption were (a) lack of inter-parental agreement on custody plus (b) one parent declaring they do not want custody. Lei 14.713/2023 adds a third ground: "elementos que evidenciem a probabilidade de risco de violência doméstica ou familiar" (elements evidencing the probability of risk of domestic or family violence). This is a substantially lower threshold than a finding of violence — probabilidade de risco — and is the operative trigger.
New CPC art. 699-A — procedural duty. The judge MUST (not may) ask both the parties and the Ministério Público about DV risk before mediation begins. This is a structural inquiry — surfaces DV allegations early, but also surfaces unfounded allegations early.
5-day evidence window. The court sets a 5-day deadline for provas ou indícios (evidence or indications) supporting the DV-risk claim. This is fast — designed to keep custody proceedings moving — but creates a high-stakes early-procedure moment.
Interaction with Lei 12.318/2010 (PA Law). Brazil now has two parallel statutory regimes:
Lei 12.318/2010 — alienação parental as juridical category; allows escalating sanctions including custody transfer (art. 6º)
Lei 14.713/2023 — risco de violência doméstica as bar to shared custody
The interaction is contested. Where an alienating parent alleges DV to block shared custody, the targeted parent may invoke Lei 12.318 to challenge the alienating pattern (e.g. campanha de desqualificação, falsas acusações). The STJ and STF have not yet issued unifying jurisprudência on how the two regimes interact; expect emerging case law through 2024-2026.
Risk of misuse — common to all DV-based custody bars. As with DAA 2021 (UK) and similar regimes elsewhere, the Lei 14.713/2023 risco trigger can be weaponised by alienating parents who make unfounded DV allegations. Lei 12.318/2010 art. 6º remains available as the counter-mechanism.

Practitioner notes¶

Pre-2023 cases decided before 31 October 2023 are governed by the prior art. 1.584, § 2 CC (without the DV exception).
The Ministério Público has heightened standing under CPC art. 699-A — judges must consult the MP regardless of whether the parties raise DV. The MP de família e infância has issued internal practice guidance integrating Lei 14.713 + Lei 12.318 review.
Multi-disciplinary evaluation (Lei 12.318 art. 5º perícia biopsicossocial) is the principal evidential method to distinguish genuine DV from alienating-pattern false allegations.
Cross-reference: Lei Maria da Penha (Lei 11.340/2006) — the DV-specific framework that defines violência doméstica e familiar contra a mulher. Lei 14.713/2023 incorporates the Maria da Penha framework's DV definition by reference.

Sources & authoritative references¶

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