Legal Definitions - mobilia sequuntur personam

Mobilia sequuntur personam is a Latin phrase that means "movables follow the person." This means that the law of the owner's domicile determines the rights of ownership and transfer of movable property.

• If someone owns a car in the United States but moves to Canada, the law of Canada will determine their rights to the car.
• If someone owns a painting in France but moves to Japan, the law of Japan will determine their rights to the painting.

These examples illustrate how the principle of mobilia sequuntur personam works. The law of the owner's domicile (the place where they live) determines their rights to movable property, even if the property is located in a different country.