Its not all about the sun and the stunning views when getting married here. Our wedding planners are fully knowledgeable of the marriage system in Spain and also if required in Gibraltar . Gibraltar weddings are becoming very popular with many couples but they still hold a blessing back in Spain.
The information on this page is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the FCO by the relevant local authorities. This information is only up to date and accurate to the extent that such authorities provide us with timely and accurate information. The FCO will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information. British nationals wishing to obtain information about marriage or civil partnership must contact the relevant local authority to be sure of the requirements that they need in order for their ceremony to go ahead.
Marriage formalities in Spain
If you wish to get married in
Spain and you are a resident, the first step is to contact the
relevant authority (town hall/registry office/district
court/religious authority) in the place where you are planning to
get married. They will be able to inform you of the documents they
will require from you. Please bear in mind that your local
Consulate will not be able to give you this information; it must
come from the relevant authority where you plan to get
married.
Civil and religious (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and
Muslim) marriages can be celebrated in
Spain.
Applications for civil marriages for residents must be made to the Civil Registry (see the Spanish Ministry of Justice's website for contact details), District Court or Town Hall in the place where the marriage is to be celebrated. As it may take some time to receive an appointment, and for paperwork to be processed, it is important that you make contact with them at the earliest possible opportunity. They will tell you what documentation they require.
Requirements for religious marriages vary according to the denomination and area in which an applicant lives, and applicants will be asked for a variety of documents. Please consult the relevant authority for information on these. Religious marriages are recognised as legal under Spanish law, but to obtain an official marriage certificate, the marriage must subsequently be registered with the local civil authorities. Therefore, it is important to confirm that the officiator of the marriage is licensed to marry and to establish arrangements for civil registration. You should check whether the officiator will register the religious marriage on your behalf or whether they will provide you with the paperwork to do so yourselves.
Certificates
Below is a list of certificates which may be required by the relevant authorities in Spain in order for you to get married here. Please click on the certificate titles for more information. Some pages also provide a sample certificate. You may find it useful to print the sample certificates and take them with you when you go to visit the registrar. They will then be able to see the format of the certificates and confirm which they require.
Please note that to avoid a wasted journey to your local Consulate, you are strongly advised to contact the Consulate first by telephone or email to check that you have all the required documents for the issue of the certificate. In addition some Consulates have an appointment system.
Legalisation and translation
Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a UK public document is genuine. It does not authenticate the content of the document. Legalisation is usually required by foreign authorities before they will allow a UK document to be used for official purposes in their country.
All customers are advised to visit the website of the Legalisation Office in the UK to find out more information on what types of documents can be legalised and on the processes involved.
All British birth/death/marriage/divorce certificates /Home Office certificates may need to be translated. If this is the case, the translation needs to be an official, or sworn, translation.
We advise you to contact a sworn translator (traductor jurado) who is registered with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación). There is a list of translators on the Ministry's website.
UK civil partnerships
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the British Embassy in Madrid in a Note Verbale dated 16 November 2007 that same-sex couples who have registered a Civil Partnership in the UK should be treated as spouses for legal purposes in Spain. Implementation of this guidance is a matter for the Spanish authorities.
If you have undergone a civil partnership ceremony in the UK and would like us to include an observation in your new passport to that effect, please include the civil partnership certificate with your application and a covering letter explaining that you would like us to add the observation.
Please visit our passport section for further information about how to apply for a UK passport.
British Nationals living in Spain are responsible for ensuring their own local administrative arrangements comply with Spanish law - UK civil partners should consult a lawyer or accountant over any concerns relating to next of kin, property, inheritance tax or tax issues.
Please note that Civil Partnership ceremonies cannot be officiated in British Consulates in Spain or in the Civil Registry in Gibraltar.
Foreign marriage
certificates
In order to issue or renew a
Residency Card to the non-EU spouse of a British citizen, the
Spanish Authorities may require couples to provide: signed and
sworn affidavits for each person, a legalised copy of the relevant
marriage certificate, a translation of the marriage certificate (if
not in Spanish), a certificate from the British Consulate, and all
the above completed documents, united into one document by the
Consulate, including the original marriage certificate and the
consular certificate for presentation to the relevant Extranjería
Department.
The certificate issued by the Consulate states that the
couple have sworn under oath that their marriage is valid, legal
and existing, as well as a statement regarding the legal nature of
the recognition of foreign marriages in the
UK.
Please note that if a non-EU spouse has changed her name and/or surname or taken on her husband's surname on marriage and the new name/surname appears on her current passport, the applicants must check with Extranjería as to whether the application will be acceptable without a further certificate from the non-EU national's Embassy confirming the name and/or surname change on marriage. This is applicable even in the case of a residence card renewal.
Requirements
In order for the Consulate to issue the certificate, couples need to present their original passports, the original Spanish Residency Certificate of the British citizen and their original marriage certificate, issued within the last 3 months and which has been legalised in accordance with the requirements of the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
If the original marriage certificate is not presented in Spanish, an official translation (into Spanish) must be provided.
The services provided by the British Consulate are:
See also the latest fees charged for these documents. Please note you may need to make an appointment for this service.
Legalisation of marriage certificates
Legalised marriage certificates must bear either:
An Apostille Stamp/Certificate if the country in which the marriage took place is party to the Hague Convention;
Or, if the country is not party to the Hague Convention, the marriage certificate should be legalised following the procedure below (which usually involves having 4 stamps on it):
In the case of a marriage which has taken place in a Diplomatic Mission/Consulate in Spain, the marriage certificate must also be taken to the MFA (MAEC) for the officiating consular/diplomatic officer's signature (accredited in Spain at the MFA (MAEC)) to be legalised.
Further information on the legalisation of documents should be sought from the relevant Embassy/Consulate (in Spain) of the country where the document was issued.
A number of countries exist for which the Spanish Authorities do not require legalisation. Further information can be found via the the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs website.
Covering the whole of Southern Spain
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