How to Get Married through a Notary in Spain

Sponsored by Klev&Vera International Law Firm.

Earlier in 2021, Spanish law was updated to make it easier for couples to get married before a notary. By instruction of the Directorate-General for Legal Security and Public Faith, Notaries now have the same authority to conduct marriages as other authorities in Spain. This speeds up the process significantly, allowing couples to avoid the limited availability of appointments and the administrative backlog that is slowing down government offices.

Before getting married in Spain, you must obtain a Certificado de Capacidad Matrimonial (certificate of civil status) granting permission to marry. Notaries can now receive the appropriate documents and submit them to the Registro Civil (Civil Register). Once permission is granted, the same or another notary may conduct or “celebrate” the marriage.

While this process provides an additional option for those wanting to get married, the process still involves a great deal of documentation and bureaucracy. According to the Directorate-General’s instruction, applicants need to provide a number of documents including, but not limited to:

• Application form (Solicitud de Matrimonio Civil).
• A current valid passport.
• Original birth certificates (legalized and translated into Spanish).
• Certificate of No Impediment (Certificado de no Impedimento).
• Certificate of Permission to Marry (Certificado de Capacidad Matrimonial).
• Certificates of previous marriages and divorces/annulment/death (if applicable).
• Proof of Spanish residency.
• Certificate proving current habitual place of residence in Spain (certificado de empadronamiento) of at least 2 years (if not a Spanish citizen).
• Information about any children in common prior to marriage.
• Other documentation required by the region.

Documents must either be original or authenticated. Documents not in Spanish must be accompanied by an official translation (traduccion jurada). Foreign documents must also be authenticated in both Spain and the country of origin.

Furthermore, if one of the parties is not proficient in Spanish, an authorized or sworn translator must be present. Two witnesses familiar with the parties must also be present at the ceremony. The notary will also conduct separate interviews with each person.

The notary performing the marriage will also register the marriage with the Civil Registry (Registro Civil), a requirement for all marriages in Spain.

If you have questions that you would like answered or are looking for professional advice you can contact Klev&Vera at (+34) 93 17 60 190.

For over 15 years Klev&Vera has specialized in attending the legal needs of international clients in Spain. Klev&Vera’s multilingual team of lawyers and paralegals have many years of experience in big law firms, the public sector and international projects. If you are looking for professional legal advice you can contact them at the Klev&Vera office in Barcelona.

Sponsored by Klev&Vera International Law Firm.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website does not and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information available on this site is for general informational purposes only. Laws are subject to change and do so regularly. While the Barcelona Metropolitan endeavors to ensure that the content is accurate and up-to-date, users should seek appropriate legal advice before taking or refraining from taking any action based on the content of the website or otherwise.

Originally published August 13, 2021, updated March 6, 2023.