Geting married in Spain
Foreign people getting married in Spain can either register the marriage at the Embassy or Consulate of the nationality country in Spain or at the local civil registry in Spain according to the Spanish Civil Code. If one of the spouses has Spanish citizenship, the marriage should be registered at the Spanish Civil Registry.
Situation 1: Both parties are foreign people
Here are the documents needed to register a marriage in the Spanish Civil Registry when both parties are of foreign nationality. You can also go to your country’s Embassy or Consulate in Spain to register according to your own situation.
If both parties to the marriage are foreigner, the general documents required are as follows:
Note: Some regions in Spain have their own marriage laws, so although the general documents required are the same, each local civil office may have some differences in details.
-Application form. The application form is provided by the local civil office and contains the marriage affidavit, which needs to be filled out and signed by both parties.
-Residence permit and passport of both parties. Original and photocopies are included.
-Birth certificates of both parties. Legalisation or apotille is required.
-Proof of last two years of historical residency (padron).
Related article:Spanish residence registry: padron regime
-Depending on the circumstances, if one party is said to have been previously divorced, proof of divorce is required. If widowed, a certificate of widowhood is required. All foreign public documents need to be legalised or apostilled.
-Certificate of unmarriage of both parties (also called single certificate) issued by your home country.
Note: To register a marriage in Spain, a certificate of non-conviction is not required.
Situation 2: Foreign nationality on one side and Spanish nationality on the other.
The documents required for a marriage between foreign nationals and Spanish nationals are similar to those mentioned above:
-Application form. The application form is provided by the local civil office and contains the marriage affidavit, which needs to be filled out and signed by both parties.
-Residence and passport of the foreign party, including the original and a copy.
-ID card or passport of the Spanish party, including the original and a copy.
-Birth certificate of the foreign national. Legalisation or apotille is required.
-For birth certificates from the Spanish side, no legalisation or apotille is required.
-Last two years of historical proof of residence (padron).
-Depending on the situation, if the foreign party has been divorced before, a certificate of divorce needs to be submitted. If widowed, a certificate of widowhood is required. All notarizations need to be double certified.
-Depending on the circumstances, a certificate of divorce or a certificate of widowhood from the Spanish party. It can be applied for at the Spanish Civil Registry.
-Certificate of unmarriage (also called single certificate) from the foreign side.
-The Spanish party does not need to submit a certificate of unmarriage.
Note: To register a marriage in Spain, you do not need a certificate of non-conviction. Having a criminal record does not affect the marriage.
Steps to get married
There are two steps to register a marriage at the Civil Registry in Spain:
-Submit the application documents (expediente matrimonial) and wait for approval. The approval time is usually 1 to 3 months depending on the workload of the local civil office. A minimum of 1 witness is required at the time of submission.
-After the approval by the Civil Registry , the wedding ceremony can be performed. The wedding ceremony is signed and the vows are taken before the couple is legally married. There are two different types of marriage ceremonies in Spain, the first is civil and the second is religious. The civil marriage requires both parties to bring two witnesses on the day, while the religious marriage is performed in a church, with the priest as witness, so you can communicate with the church beforehand.
