The wedding bells ring and you get married – congratulations! If you are planning to get married in Spain as a foreigner, whether you marry a Spaniard or not, you need to look at the bureaucracy associated with tying the knot as soon as possible, as well as, of course, spanish wedding traditions. In this guide, we will explain the different types of marriages in Spain and guide you through the legal marriage process, including all the documents you need. Religious ceremonies can be performed after or in place of civil ceremonies. Couples who marry by Protestant, Islamic or Jewish rite must obtain approval from the civil registry by presenting all the above documents. In the case of Catholic marriages, the priest performing the ceremony must be presented with a certified birth certificate, “apostilled”, accompanied by a translation into Spanish, a baptismal certificate issued no later than six months before your marriage, certified by the issuing diocese and accompanied by a Spanish translation, and proof that both parties can marry freely from the civil registry office. Arrangements for Catholic marriages usually last one to three weeks and you must present the certificate issued by the Church to the nearest registry office no later than one week after the marriage registration ceremony. You will need to bring a photocopy of your passport as well as the required documents when you submit your wedding to the local registry office. You will also need one of your two witnesses (with ID) to accompany you. Officials will then process your information and save you to their system. The intention to get married is then posted on the public bulletin board in her office for 21 days. After 10 days, you can call the office to request an interview appointment. This is part of the marriage process. We always advise our couples to simply marry legally in their home country and then travel to Spain for a symbolic ceremony.
A symbolic wedding gives you the freedom to choose the wedding venue of your choice. Whether it`s a historic fortress ruin hidden in the Spanish countryside or a modern hotel on the picturesque Costa Brava, you can recite your vows in the most beautiful place in Spain! This document is in Spanish. Spanish law may allow foreigners who are not residents of Spain to marry here. However, the different autonomous communities in Spain may interpret this law differently and require that one of the parties in Spain be a citizen or resident of Spain. Applications for civil marriage in Spain must be submitted directly to the Spanish civil registry or district court where the marriage is concluded. A civil marriage can take place at the civil registry office or at the local town hall. Civil ceremonies are only possible if at least one of the married couples is a Spanish citizen or if at least one of them meets the 2-year residency requirement. Catholic, Jewish, Islamic and Protestant religious wedding ceremonies legally recognized in Spain. A civil marriage does not have to take place before these religious marriages. However, a couple must obtain a marriage certificate before service, and the marriage must be registered with the authorities in order to be legally recognized. The application procedure for Protestant, Islamic and Jewish marriages is the same as for civil marriages.
Such marriages must be registered with the civil authorities and performed by a licensed marriage official. Is this marriage legally valid in Spain? The answer is no. For religious and civil ceremonies, all foreign documents must be accompanied by a Spanish translation and stamped with an apostille. After making the request, a public announcement of your intention to marry, also known as a marriage ban, will be posted on a consular bulletin board for a period of 15 to 21 days. After that, the registrar`s office issues a marriage certificate. The whole process for a civil marriage takes between 30 and 50 days, so you may want to plan to be in Spain a month before your wedding. So, if you dream of making the alliance for life at a solemn religious ceremony in a historic church in Spain, your church wedding is considered legally binding. On the other hand, following the state requirements for a civil marriage in Spain, you can choose a legally approved place for the ceremony and tie the knot for life there. We receive many questions about the legal requirements for marriage in Spain. To sort out the details, wedding planner Hollie Ennis came to the rescue.
Below, Hollie addresses some of the most common concerns about how foreigners can legally marry in Spain, and the different ceremonial options available. If you have a religious marriage, church administrators may want to take care of this application process on your behalf, so you should check with your local diocese beforehand. For religious marriages, all foreigners must also send specific documents to the bishop of the diocese in order to obtain a special permit to marry. Treatment can take up to four weeks, so you should try to send all your documents to church at least two months before your wedding date. First of all, non-citizens who do not reside in Spain are not allowed to hold a legally binding civil marriage here. One of you must be a citizen or resident of Spain for at least two consecutive years before you can legally marry here. This is one of the strict requirements that makes it difficult to have a legally binding marriage. The couple must also prove that they are legally allowed to marry. This is called a disability-free certificate (Certificado de No Impedimento). If you are not Spanish, you may need to obtain it from the embassy or consulate of your home country. Marriages concluded in Spain are internationally recognized and legally binding. A civil marriage and a Catholic marriage in Spain are both considered legal marriages.
You just need to follow the requirements for these weddings and you will be considered legally married almost anywhere in the world. To have a legal marriage in Spain is to kill two birds with one stone. You can travel to a historical and culturally rich country and you will also be legally married to the love of your life. When you return to your home country, your legal marriage will be recognized in Spain without the need for complicated processes. For a religious wedding, scheduling is just as important. You must coordinate in advance with the church of your choice. Foreigners must have their documents sent to the bishop of the diocese where they wish to marry in order to obtain a special permit. This can take up to four weeks and must be sent by your local archbishop or priest. This, in addition to the other documents you prepare, should arrive at your church at least 2 months before your wedding date. After the wedding, you must hand over the marriage certificates to the local Spanish registry office within a week to legalize them. It is not possible for non-residents to hold a legally binding (except Catholic) religious ceremony in Spain.
However, you can have a blessing at the place of worship of your faith in Spain after a civil marriage has taken place in your own country. To have a blessing in a place of worship, you must obtain permission from the relevant authorities. Civil ceremonies and religious marriages are recognized by law in Spain.