mobilia sequuntur personam

phrase

Common law doctrine holding that personal property held by a person is governed by the same law that governs that person, so that if a person who is legally domiciled in one jurisdiction dies with property in a second jurisdiction, that property is legally treated as though it were in the first jurisdiction.

OriginLatin mōbilia →
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Meanings

phrase
  1. archaiclawCommon law doctrine holding that personal property held by a person is governed by the same law that governs that person, so that if a person who is legally domiciled in one jurisdiction dies with property in a second jurisdiction, that property is legally treated as though it were in the first jurisdiction.

Origin

  1. Latinmōbilia“chattels”
  2. Englishmobilia sequuntur personam

Latin mōbilia (“chattels”) + sequuntur (“they follow”) + persōnam (“person”) = “chattels follow the person”.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mobilia sequuntur personam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mobilia%20sequuntur%20personam

MLA

“mobilia sequuntur personam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mobilia%20sequuntur%20personam. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mobilia sequuntur personam,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mobilia%20sequuntur%20personam.

Source: mobilia sequuntur personam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.