A natural person has an identity document.
A natural person is a human being who can exercise rights and acquire obligations in legal terms . Although the exact definition depends on each legislation , at a general level it is understood that a natural or natural person is an individual of real existence who, based on said existence, has certain attributes recognized by law.
Typically, the idea of a natural person is understood as opposed to what a legal person represents. While a natural person is a flesh-and-blood subject, a legal person is an institution or organization – established by one or several natural persons – that also has rights and obligations.
Concept of natural person
The concept of a natural person arose in Ancient Rome . At that time, not all human beings were considered people: there were individuals , therefore, who lacked rights.
Given this panorama, it was necessary to establish who were people and, in this way, had rights . Thus, in Roman law, the recognition of the natural person arose.
Nowadays, it is easier to associate the notion of a natural person with a human being. There are, for example, human rights that are recognized for all members of our species for the simple fact of existing. However, there are rights that are only for the citizens of a country and that do not cover foreigners residing there who settled recently, to mention one possibility.
Appealing to a philosophical view applied to law, different positions on the essence of the natural person are also evident. One view maintains that law simply recognizes a reality of nature that precedes it (the real and concrete existence of the human being). Another position, on the contrary, distinguishes between the natural human being and the person as a legal entity that arises from the granting of certain elements .
This instrumental or formalistic approach implies that the natural person recognized by the legal system must meet certain requirements, such as having been registered in a civil registry and having a document issued by the State where their date of birth , their place of birth are recorded. , your first name , your last name , etc. Citizenship , therefore, provides the natural person with civil, political and other rights.
A natural person's civic participation usually depends on their domicile.
The beginning of existence
The beginning of the existence of the natural person may vary according to the legal system. Broadly speaking, there is a difference between those that take birth as the starting point of the natural person and those that add a series of requirements, such as the formalization of the birth certificate or the processing of the DNI (National Identity Document) .
However, a biological, religious and philosophical dilemma may arise regarding the beginning of life and, consequently, the acquisition of rights. There is often debate, in this context, about the rights of the unborn child , something central when legalizing or criminalizing voluntary abortion. Determining at what stage of gestational development the fetus becomes a person is a frequent cause of conflict.
The end of the person's existence, however, is clearer. It is decreed through the death certificate issued by the corresponding professional or through presumption due to its absence. Some time ago, however, other termination mechanisms were contemplated, such as a life sentence that represented civil death or submission to a condition of slavery.
The passport grants the right to a natural person to enter or leave a State.
The natural person and the exercise of rights
As we already indicated, the status of a natural person implies the recognition of rights and the establishment of obligations . But, beyond human rights that are universal and inalienable, there are faculties and powers that do not correspond to all the people who are inhabitants of a country.
Many of these differences are determined by nationality : being a national is not the same as being a foreigner in a certain territory. The right to vote in elections to elect the government , the possibility of assuming political representation and access to public health coverage or social security often depend on this issue. Likewise, there are taxes that only foreigners pay.
The patrimonial situation
The financial situation of a natural person also entails different obligations. The taxpayer's taxation and social benefits depend on the individual's economy.
A man who owns four properties and five cars will be legally obliged to pay more taxes than a man who lives in a rented house and has no vehicle. In turn, the less wealthy of the two may benefit from subsidies and assistance plans that do not correspond to the richer.
This clearly demonstrates that, although both individuals are natural persons, they do not have the same rights or the same obligations. The State intervenes with the purpose of improving the quality of life , increasing well-being and contributing to the personal development of the disadvantaged.