Getting married in Spain as a foreigner

Terms used

• Expediente matrimonial — The expediente matrimonial is the marriage file the registry or notary checks before it allows your wedding.
• Registro Civil — The Registro Civil is the civil registry office that handles marriage files and records births, marriages and deaths.
• Audiencia reservada — The audiencia reservada is a private interview with each spouse separately, used to check the marriage is genuine.
• Traductor jurado — A traductor jurado is a sworn translator appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose translations are accepted officially.
• Juez de paz — A juez de paz is a local justice of the peace who can celebrate civil marriages.

Key rules

• Where to file: File at the Registro Civil of your residence, or with a notary.
• Foreign documents: Each needs an apostille or consular legalisation, plus a sworn Spanish translation if not in Spanish or the region's co-official language.
• Interview: You are each interviewed separately before the wedding.
• Checklist: Each office sets its own list, so confirm it before ordering documents.

The short version

You start a civil marriage with a file (expediente matrimonial). You file it at the Registro Civil of the place where you live, or with a notary. Most delays come from foreign documents that are missing, out of date or not yet legalised and translated, so start with those.

Where to file

File at the Registro Civil that covers your home address. A notary is the other route, and a notarial marriage can be faster. Each office sets its own checklist, so ask the one you will use what it wants before you order anything. The documents list and checklist below show what is normally asked for.

Legalise and translate your foreign documents

• Apostille. If the country that issued the document is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, get an apostille on it.
• Legalisation. If the country is not part of the convention, the document needs diplomatic or consular legalisation instead.
• EU documents. Some EU documents are exempt from the apostille and legalisation. A multilingual standard form can also reduce what you need to translate. Ask the registry whether yours qualify.
• Translation. A document that is not in Spanish, or in the region's co-official language, needs a sworn translation by a traductor jurado. A consular translation can also work.

Certificates are usually accepted for a limited time after issue, often 3 to 6 months. Order them so they are still valid on the day you file. Registries differ on validity and on which translations they accept, so check with yours.

How long it takes

Allow roughly two to six months from filing to ceremony. Small towns can be quick. Large cities with backlogs often take longer. Apostilles and translations add more time, so build that in. The timeline below shows the order of the steps.

The interview

Each of you is interviewed separately (audiencia reservada). The registry uses it to rule out a sham marriage. Be ready to answer simple questions about each other and about your life together.

Who can marry you

A civil marriage in Spain can be celebrated by:

• a juez de paz
• the mayor (alcalde), or a councillor (concejal) the mayor has delegated
• the court secretary (letrado de la Administración de Justicia)
• a notary
• a consular or diplomatic officer, if you marry abroad

Religious marriage is also valid in the Catholic form. It is valid in the forms of confessions that have an agreement with the State (evangelical, Jewish, Islamic), and of other recognised confessions with notorio arraigo. A religious marriage must be registered in the civil registry to take civil effect.

Timeline and deadlines

• Order your foreign certificates, then get them apostilled or legalised and translated: no more than 3 to 6 months before you file, and allow extra time for apostilles and translations

• File your application at the Registro Civil of your residence, or with a notary: once all documents are ready

• Attend the separate interview with each spouse (audiencia reservada): after filing, when the registry calls you

• Wait for the registry to complete its checks and give you a ceremony date: in the weeks after the interview

• Hold the ceremony: roughly two to six months after filing, sooner with a notary or in a small town

The overall time is an estimate, so confirm lead times and certificate age limits with your Registro Civil.

Documents you need

• Valid passport or ID for each spouse.

• Recent full birth certificate from your home country, issued by its civil registry, with an apostille or consular legalisation.

• Spanish translation of each foreign document not in Spanish or the region's co-official language, made by a sworn translator (traductor jurado) or a consular translation.

• Proof of civil status: a certificate of no impediment if you are single, a divorce decree if divorced, or a death certificate of your spouse if widowed.

• Certificate of residence or empadronamiento (registration at your town hall), from your town hall.

• Completed application or sworn statement, filled in at the Registro Civil or with a notary.

• Certificate of capacity to marry from your home country, if your registry asks for one.

• Two witnesses, if the registry asks for them.

Documents for a marriage file in Spain

• Get a valid passport or ID for each spouse.

• Order a recent full birth certificate from your home country, with an apostille or legalisation and a Spanish translation.

• Get proof of your civil status: a certificate of no impediment if you are single, a divorce decree if divorced, or a death certificate of your former spouse if widowed.

• Ask your home country for a certificate of capacity to marry if the registry asks for one.

• Get a certificate of residence or empadronamiento (registration at your town hall) showing where you live.

• Fill in the application or sworn statement at the Registro Civil (civil registry) of your residence, or with a notary.

• Get an apostille on each foreign document if the issuing country is part of the Hague Apostille Convention. Otherwise get diplomatic or consular legalisation.

• Check whether your EU documents are exempt from the apostille and legalisation, and whether a multilingual standard form saves you a translation.

• Have any document not in Spanish, or the region's co-official language, translated by a sworn translator (traductor jurado) or through a consulate.

• Check the issue date of each certificate: they are often valid for only 3 to 6 months.

• Line up two witnesses in case the registry asks for them.

• Prepare for the separate interview with each spouse (audiencia reservada), where the registry checks the marriage is genuine.

Frequently asked questions

Who can celebrate our marriage in Spain?

A civil marriage can be celebrated by a juez de paz, the mayor, a councillor the mayor delegates, a court secretary (letrado de la Administración de Justicia) or a notary. A religious ceremony is also valid in the Catholic Church and in several recognised faiths. It must then be registered in the civil registry to count legally.

Will we both be interviewed before the wedding?

Yes, the registry interviews each of you separately to rule out a sham marriage. This interview is called the audiencia reservada. It is one of the stages that sets how long your file takes.

How long does a civil marriage file take from filing to ceremony?

Allow roughly two to six months from filing to ceremony. Big cities with backlogs are slower and small towns can be quick. Allow more time if your documents need apostilles or translations, and ask about a notary if you want it faster.

How long are foreign certificates valid for a marriage file?

Certificates are often accepted for only 3 to 6 months from the date of issue. Order them close to filing so they do not expire while your file is processed. Ask your registry for its exact limit.