Jurisdiction
Civil marriage in Spain
In Spain the ceremony is preceded by a formal file, the expediente matrimonial, in which the authority verifies the identity, marital status and capacity to marry of both parties before authorising the marriage.
The expediente matrimonial
The file is opened before the Registro Civil competent for the place of residence of one of the parties. It involves filing the documents, a declaration by the parties and, where required, an interview. Once concluded favourably, the authority authorises the ceremony, which may take place before the Registro Civil, the ayuntamiento or a notary.
Timescales depend on the workload of the office concerned and on the completeness of the file: a document lacking an apostille or a sworn translation will trigger a request for further information and will delay matters significantly.
Documents typically required from a foreign party
- Birth certificate, apostilled and translated by a sworn translator
- Valid certificate of marital status or of capacity to marry
- Certificate of residence or empadronamiento, where the office requires it
- Passport and, for non-residents, evidence of the connection with the place of the ceremony
Spanish nationals resident abroad
Spanish nationals living outside Spain are enrolled in the Registro de Matrícula Consular held by the competent consulate. That enrolment affects which office handles the expediente and which certificates must be produced.
Using the certificate abroad
The Spanish marriage certificate may be issued in multilingual form under the applicable conventions, or apostilled and translated. We obtain the correct form for the intended use: registration in Italy, applications to UK bodies, or updating civil status records.
Would you like to know which procedure applies to your case?
Tell us the nationality, place of residence and intended place of marriage of each party, and we will reply with a written assessment and the list of documents required.
Request an assessmentThe information on this page is provided for general guidance only. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create a professional relationship. Every requirement must be confirmed with the authority handling the file in the individual case.