Civil registry and certificates

It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. After reading, you will know how the registry works, how to register life events, and how to get the certificates you need.

Start with "How the Spanish civil registry (Registro Civil) works". It explains who does what and sets up everything else.

From there, pick the page that matches your situation:

• Having a baby: "Registering your child's birth in Spain".
• Marrying: "Getting married in Spain as a foreigner".
• Already married or born abroad: "Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain".
• Divorced abroad: "Making a foreign divorce valid in Spain".
• Living with a partner: "Registered partnerships (pareja de hecho) across Spain's regions".
• Dealing with a death: "What to do when someone dies in Spain".
• Needing papers: "Ordering official Spanish certificates" and "Getting a Spanish criminal record certificate for use abroad".
• Wondering about names: "How Spanish surnames work for you and your children".

Citizenship applications and padrón certificates are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Certificate fees: Civil registry certificates are free of charge; only sworn translations and similar extras are paid separately.
• Birth registration: A birth in Spain must be registered within 10 days, extendable to 30 days when there is a justified reason.
• One register: Spain has a single national digital Registro Civil, with one personal record per person.
• Nationality: Birth in Spain does not give your child Spanish nationality when both parents are foreign, except in a few cases.
• Appointment: In-person requests need a prior appointment at the Oficina del Registro Civil.
• Birth: A child born abroad to a Spanish parent must be registered in Spain; foreign parents' children are not.

Civil registry and certificates: the whole process, step by step

• Understand the registry and which certificate you need (How the Spanish civil registry (Registro Civil) works): Before you start any filing

• Register a death, if someone has died (What to do when someone dies in Spain): Within 24 hours of the death or of finding the body, with the medical certificate; the burial or cremation licence depends on it

• Register your child's birth in Spain (Registering your child's birth in Spain): Within 10 days of the birth, extendable to 30 days when there is a justified reason

• Register a late birth: After the deadline: still accepted, but expect questions about the delay and delays to the child's passport, health card and benefits

• Legalise and translate foreign documents (Getting married in Spain as a foreigner): Before filing; certificates are usually accepted only if issued in the last 3 to 6 months

• File and complete a civil marriage file (Getting married in Spain as a foreigner): Allow roughly two to six months from filing to ceremony, more if documents need apostilles or translations

• Register a birth or marriage that happened abroad (Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain): As soon as possible after the event if one parent or spouse is Spanish; there is no fixed penalty deadline for a child's birth

• Order certificates (Ordering official Spanish certificates): Online can take minutes to two weeks; post often one to four weeks; consulates several weeks

• Apostille a Spanish certificate for use abroad (Ordering official Spanish certificates): After you receive the certificate and before the foreign authority's 3 to 6 month recency limit runs out

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Certificate of empadronamiento
• A copy of your ID — Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain, Ordering official Spanish certificates
• Valid passport or ID for each spouse — Getting married in Spain as a foreigner, Registered partnerships (pareja de hecho) across Spain's regions
• Identity documents of the other spouse — Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain
• Valid passports or national ID cards of both parents — Registering your child's birth in Spain

Translations and legal papers

• A translation of the certificate — Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain, Getting a Spanish criminal record certificate for use abroad

Other documents

• Marriage certificate
• Foreign documents
• Application form for registration — Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain
• Medical birth report and signed birth questionnaire — Registering your child's birth in Spain
• Declaration of filiation — Registering your child's birth in Spain

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Civil registry and certificates: questions that cross several articles

Which Registro Civil certificate do I need for my procedure?

Most procedures accept the extracto, a summary of the main data, while nationality and inheritance usually need the literal, a full copy with all notes. A plurilingüe certificate avoids translation in countries party to the convention, and a negative certificate proves nothing is registered. Read How the Spanish civil registry (Registro Civil) works and Ordering official Spanish certificates.

Do I have to register a birth or marriage that happened abroad?

Yes, if a parent or spouse is Spanish, you should register it in the Spanish Registro Civil, and it is needed for a passport, DNI and civil status proof. Two foreign parents or two foreign spouses are not registered. Read Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain and Registering your child's birth in Spain.

Do foreign documents always need an apostille and translation?

No, they need an apostille or consular legalisation in most cases, but EU documents covered by the EU regulation or plurilingual forms can be exempt. Documents not in Spanish or the regional co-official language need a sworn translation. Read Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain and Getting married in Spain as a foreigner.

Where can I file a registration for an event abroad?

You can file at the Spanish consulate where the event happened, or in Spain at an Oficina General del Registro Civil or the office for your home address. See Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain.