HOW TO MARRY ABROAD - GETTING MARRIED IN SPAIN

HOW TO MARRY ABROAD - GETTING MARRIED IN SPAIN

• Catholic weddings are the only legally recognised religious wedding ceremonies in Spain. In fact, a Catholic wedding is the only way to be legally married in Spain if you are a non national.
• For other religions, you can have a blessing, but the paperwork will have to be sorted out at home.
• There is a 2 year residency requirement if you want to have a Civil Ceremony.

CIVIL CEREMONY

There is a 2 year residency requirement if you want to have a Civil Ceremony. The documents required are as follows;

•  Original birth certificate in its long form
•  Passport
•  Fe de Solteria y Vida | Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage

This is basically your proof of freedom to marry and may be obtained from your local registry office or consulate.

•  Original marriage and divorce / death certificate if appropriate.
•  If either party is widowed, then both the original marriage certificate and death certificate must be presented together with sworn translations.
•  Certificate of Empadronimiento | Proof of residency

This can be obtained from the Tenencia de Alcaldía (town hall) in which you are a resident.

All documents that are in English must be stamped with an Apostille Stamp. An Apostille Stamp authenticates documents executed outside of Spain (such as a birth certificate,) so that it will be recognised as genuine/ official / legitimate for use in other countries, such as Spain.

All Documents must be accompanied by their Spanish translations.

Banns must be posted for a period of at least 15 days. The Office of the Registrar will then issue a marriage license and once the wedding ceremony is over After the ceremony is performed, your marriage will be recorded in the Civil Registry and a Spanish marriage certificate is issued to you.

OPTIONS FOR CIVIL CEREMONY COUPLES

If a civil ceremony is what you require, there are only two options available to you to overcome the residency requirement. The first is to get married in a civil ceremony back home and have a blessing in Spain. The second is to get married in Gibraltar. I know it’s a different country but Gibraltar borders northern Spain and it is much easier for foreign nationals to get married here and because it is so close, you can hop back to Spain for your wedding celebrations. 

RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES

CATHOLIC

If you or your partner are Catholic, then you can be legally married in a catholic wedding ceremony in Spain, actually – it’s about the only way to get married legally in Spain. 

•  At least one partner in the couple has to be Catholic and neither can be divorced.
•  It’s a long process, start at least 6 months in advance, longer if possible.

Paperwork needs to be completed at home, usually through the bride’s parish but certain documents such as the groom’s baptismal cert will be required . The priest will get in touch with the parish in Spain and will guide you through the paperwork.

Forms and documents need to be translated into Spanish.

Documentation

• Pre-nuptial enquiry

Your local parish will provide you with this and it is required for both of you.

• Baptismal, Communion and Confirmation Certificates issued by your parish church and within the last 6 months.
• Fe de Solteria y Vida | Letter of Freedom to Marry

A formal letter from your parish priest that states that you have fulfilled your Pre – Marital course requirements. This letter should also include permission from the priest that you are free to marry in a Catholic Church elsewhere. The priest will forward this on to the local Archbishop who will prepare a cover letter. Along with the rest of the items listed below, your priest or Archbishop will forward these documents on to the local bishop in Spain (see next point) who in turn will let the church you are to be married in know that everything is in order.

Bishop’s Special Permission

Non-nationals need to have their documents sent to the Bishop of the diocese in which they intend to marry to receive special permission. This can take up to four weeks and should be sent by your local Archbishop or priest. 

• Other Documentation

Along with the documents above, the Archbishop will also need to send on certificates that might be appropriate such as Death Certificate, a Decree of Nullity, or a dispensation letter if one half of the couple is not Catholic.

Documents should reach the church you wish to be married in at least 2 months before the wedding date.

Very Important

Wedding dates need to be organised directly with the church in Spain. After the wedding, you must deliver the marriage papers to the local Spanish Civil Registry to legalise them.

OTHER RELIGIONS

Unfortunately, you can only be married legally in Protestant, Islamic and Jewish ceremonies if you can meet the 2 year residency requirements.