How to Obtain a Civil Status Certificate for British Citizens

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For a civil marriage, there are several different documents required by the Spanish authorities. One of those documents is a civil status certificate. This is used to certify that a person is free to enter a marriage and must be issued by the home country of the person intending to marry. The following explains that process for a British citizen.

The British version of a civil status certificate is called a Certificate of No Impediment or a CNI. A UK-issued CNI can be obtained by giving notice of marriage to your local register office or registrar in the UK. This UK-issued CNI is only valid within the UK and must be exchanged for one that is valid in Spain. To do this, an application pack with supporting documents must be sent by registered post to the British Consulate in Madrid.

The application pack includes an application form, a credit card authorization form and an affirmation (Declaración Solemne). The fee for the application is €62 plus postage. The affirmation must be fully completed and signed before a notary public in Spain. It needs to include the details of the applicant, the details of the applicant’s parents and the estimated date and place of the intended marriage. Required supporting documents include a passport photocopy, proof of address either in Spain or in the UK, a photocopy of your original birth certificate and any documents related to a previous marriage if divorced or widowed, which prove that the applicant is free to marry.

Once the application pack and supporting documents have been sent to the British Consulate in Madrid, the application will be processed within 30 working days. A civil status certificate will be then issued that is valid for three months in Spain.

The application pack can be found on the UK government website.