Bringing a Spanish or foreign partner and children home

Key rules

• Format: Ask for certificates in the international multilingual format to avoid translation in many countries.
• Expiry: Certificates often stay valid only three to six months, so order them shortly before you submit.
• Translation: The receiving authority decides whether you need a sworn translation.
• Children: A child born in Spain is not automatically Spanish; register the birth with your home country to claim nationality.

Requirements depend on your home country and your partner's nationality, so confirm them with that country's embassy or immigration office before ordering documents.

The bottom line

Your partner and children can enter and settle in your home country if your Spanish civil records and nationality documents are ready and valid there. Most delays come from documents that are the wrong format, unstamped or too old. Rules differ by country, so check your home country's requirements before ordering anything.

Start with your partner's status

What your partner needs depends on their nationality and on your home country's rules.

• If your partner is a citizen of your home country, they can usually enter freely.
• If your partner is a foreign national, they may need a visa or a residence card. Ask your home country's immigration office which applies and how soon after arrival you must apply for the card.
• If you are not married, expect to prove a registered partnership (pareja de hecho) or a lasting relationship.

If you are returning to Spain rather than leaving it, a partner from the EU, EEA or Switzerland gets a family-member residence card and needs no visa. A non-EU partner of a Spanish national is covered by the same family regime and applies for the card in Spain after arrival.

Get the civil records ready

Request your certificates from the Registro Civil. Ask for the international multilingual format. It follows a standard form, so many countries accept it without translation.

• You can apply online with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, by post, or in person at the Registro Civil where the event was registered.
• Certificates are generally free. Online requests can take days to a few weeks.
• Certificates often expire after a short time, commonly three to six months. Order them close to when you will submit them.

Make the documents valid abroad

How you do this depends on the country, and the decision below walks you through the options.

• Within the EU, many public documents, including birth and marriage certificates, need no apostille or legalisation. Multilingual forms also avoid translation.
• For most other countries that belong to the Hague Convention, you need an apostille. The Ministry of Justice issues it for civil registry documents, and notary associations issue it for notarised documents.
• For countries outside the Convention, you need consular legalisation.
• The receiving authority decides whether you also need a sworn translation. Many do if the document is not in their language.

Register your children

Most countries recognise nationality by descent when a parent is a national. Normally you register each child's birth with your home country's consulate or civil registry. You bring the Spanish birth certificate, often multilingual and apostilled, proof of your nationality and your ID or passport. Add proof of your marriage or partnership if asked. Once the birth is registered, the child can get a passport.

Deadlines, and how many generations can pass nationality down, vary by country. Ask the consulate early.

A child born in Spain does not become Spanish just by being born here, except in specific cases such as being stateless.

What to do next

Use the checklist, documents list and timeline below to order the steps. Start by asking your home country's embassy or immigration office what it requires.

Choosing between options

How do you make Spanish civil documents valid for use abroad?

• Use a multilingual extract: The destination accepts the international multilingual format, so no translation is needed.

• Get an apostille: The destination is a Hague Convention country outside the EU and the document is not exempt.

• Get an apostille and a sworn translation: The authority requires its own language and the document is not in multilingual format.

• Use consular legalisation: The destination is not in the Hague Convention.

Within the EU, many civil documents need no apostille. Elsewhere, check whether the country is in the Hague Convention, then whether the authority accepts the multilingual format.

Timeline and deadlines

• Order marriage or partnership certificates, and birth certificates for your children: before you start your application

• Submit the certificates before they expire: within three to six months of issue

• Register each child's birth and nationality with the consulate or civil registry, then apply for the passport: after the birth certificate is ready, within any deadline your country sets

Documents you need

• Marriage certificate from the Registro Civil (full certificate or extract), in the international multilingual format where accepted, issued within the last three to six months.

• Certificate of registration as a pareja de hecho from the regional or municipal registry, if you are an unmarried couple.

• Certificate of no impediment or single status, if the authority asks for it.

• Family book (libro de familia), if the authority asks for it.

• Padrón certificate from your town hall as proof of living together.

• Spanish birth certificate for each child, in multilingual format, used to register the birth and get a passport.

• Sworn translation of any document not in the language of the receiving authority and not in multilingual format.

Checklist

• Find out whether your partner's nationality means a visa or a residence card applies.

• Gather proof of marriage, registered partnership or a lasting relationship.

• Request the certificates in multilingual format from the Registro Civil.

• Check how old a certificate can be, commonly three to six months, before ordering.

• Register each child's birth with the consulate or civil registry and ask about nationality deadlines.

Frequently asked questions

Does my foreign partner need a visa to live in Spain with me?

Usually no visa is needed for a partner who is an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, who gets a family-member residence card instead. A non-EU spouse or registered partner (pareja de hecho) of a Spanish citizen is in the same regime. An unmarried partner needs proof of a registered partnership or a lasting relationship.

Does my child become Spanish just by being born in Spain?

No, a child born in Spain does not automatically become Spanish, except in specific cases such as being stateless. Nationality usually passes from a parent who is a national.

Can I get Spanish certificates without translating them?

Yes, a multilingual extract (extracto plurilingüe) can be used in many countries without translation. You request it from the Registro Civil, online with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, by post or in person. It is generally free and can arrive in days to a few weeks.

Do EU countries still require an apostille on Spanish documents?

No, within the EU many public documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates are exempt from apostille and legalisation. Outside the EU, Hague Convention countries accept an apostille instead of consular legalisation. Other countries require consular legalisation.