Sometimes, you might need to submit a Spain Marriage Certificate (Certificado de Matrimonio) for use in legal processes abroad. A lot of authorities abroad require the marriage certificate to be provided along with the apostille certificate as proof of marriage.

 

You might be required to provide a copy of your marriage certificate if you are travelling abroad with your spouse. This is especially common when one spouse has a job offer abroad and the other partner needs to apply for a visa to enter the country. Please keep in mind that it stays your individual responsibility to check if the certificate needs to be attested at the embassy.

Many authorities outside of Spain might also request a legalised marriage certificate for dealing with the estate of one deceased spouse when some assets or property in the deceased spouse’s name needs to be legally transferred.

 

What is a Spain Marriage Certificate?

A Spain Marriage Certificate or Certificado de Matrimonio is a certified copy or extracts copy for Spanish nationals that got married. These certificates usually include the full names of both spouses, their occupation, place of residence, age and name of the father of both parties, place of marriage and the registration district.

 

A marriage certificate is sometimes also referred to as a Wedding Certificate and is an essential document in order to prove a change of name when married. In general, these documents might be required when applying for:

• Passports
• Bank accounts
• Pension funds
• Social security
• Employer ID
• Driving License
• Visas and immigration
• Divorce
• Adoption

 

Understanding the different types of Spanish Marriage Certificates

There are two versions of the Spain Marriage Certificate. One is the Extract and the other is the Literal.

 

The Extract is the summary of the information registered at the Registro Civil (Civil Register), pertaining to the wedding details. The Extract can be obtained in various forms, including:

• Ordinary: Issued in the regions or autonomous communities where the only official language is Spanish.
• Bilingual: Issued at the region or “Comunidad autónoma” that has its own official language. This certificate is issued in Spanish as well as the language of that region.
• International or Multilingual: Valid in member countries of the Vienna Convention of 8^th September 1976. Issued in the official language of the signatory countries of the Convention (Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Serbia, Poland, Montenegro, Moldova, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria.)

 

The Literal copy is a literal copy of the marriage registration, with all the information regarding the identity of the couple and the details of the marriage as well as any information registered in the margins, such as marriage contract and annulment.

 

What is the purpose of a marriage certificate?

A Spain Marriage Certificate proves that two people are legally married and that they have a legally binding marriage contract in place. These are official records denoting that two people have participated in a partnership and it includes jurisdictions where wedding licenses are not in place.

 

The marriage certificate serves as proof that nuptials are permissible and also proves that the marriage has been witnessed by eligible witnessed.