Ways to Get Married

If you have decided to marry civilly, the legal system allows you to choose from three different ways to do so:

  1. Before the Judge in charge of the Civil Registry

  2. Before the Mayor

  3. Before a Notary



Marriage Procedures

In any of these cases, it is mandatory to process the Marriage File as a prior step.

This is simply a procedure where you must prove, with the presence of two witnesses, that there is no legal impediment to the marriage and that it is being entered into freely and voluntarily, preventing «marriages of convenience».

Although you can choose to marry wherever you wish, the Marriage File must be processed with the competent authority in the domicile of either spouse.

The competent authorities for processing this file are the Civil Registry Officer or the Notary.

If you choose to process the file with a notary (which is faster, although not for the file itself but for the appointment), you will need to contact the Notarial College in the Autonomous Community where either of you resides. The Notarial College will inform you of the name and address of the Notary responsible for processing the file, as you cannot choose the Notary in this case. Once the file is processed, you are free to marry wherever and before whomever you prefer.

A tip: If you process the file before a Notary, make sure to ask about Marriage Contracts.



Documents Required to Get Married

  • DNI (National Identity Document).

  • Two witnesses who are of legal age.

  • The processed Marriage File.

NextWills