Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
My boyfriend and I recently got engaged (yay!) and are starting to delve into the legal aspects of it all. I’m American and he’s Spanish and as of now, we aren’t sure if we want to get married in the States or here in Spain. So, I’m looking for any advice/ insights/ pros and cons, etc. of what others have done. Can someone recommend the best places to get married?
We have already done Pareja de Hecho here, and have no immediate intentions of moving to the States, (although that could change someday.) So, I’d be extremely grateful just to hear from some other Americans that have married Spaniards, where they did it, and why they chose the route that they did. Many thanks and Cheers!
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These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
“My wife and I did a lot of digging, and it seemed that it was far easier to get things done in America (faster, less paperwork, etc).”
“Not sure where you are in Spain or how big your wedding party is, but I found it easiest to get married in Gibraltar, it’s so straightforward and cheap. (I’m American and my husband is British).”
“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that registering a marriage (that happened in the US) here in Spain is a pain in the neck.
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Explore Cities →And people say that registering it *at a consulate in the US* is way easier. So my advice is that if you choose to get married in the US (since that paperwork, to get married, is actually quite easy) then be sure to also register it there via a consulate, prior to coming back to Spain. My wife got her Spanish nationality and so we went to register our marriage (we’ve been married several years) and we had to have our birth certificates (apostilled for mine, of course) and our marriage certificate from the US (also apostilled, of course). We filed it in November of last year and it’s still not done. Of course, Covid, but still.”
“Don’t do anything in Spain less it cannot be helped. I’m American and my wife is Spanish. We married in Gibraltar and it was a breeze. But registering it in Spain at the La Línea de la Concepción registro civil was Kafkaesque (it had to be done there and not Registro Civil Central so that Spain could pretend that it controls Gibraltar). We turned in the paperwork in February and we got our libro de familia and spanish marriage certificate in November. From what I know, getting married in the US and registering at a Spanish consulate is much smoother and timelier.”
“I am American and my husband is Spanish. We decided to marry in Spain because this is where we wanted to live. The process was very quick for us regarding paperwork and we were married within a few months. However, then we thought about moving to the US and started the paperwork for that. He had to apply for a spousal visa and then once he enters the US, he gets mailed a greencard to live and work there (permanent resident). The paperwork is HORRENDOUS and it took us almost 2 years to get the visa. You may be able to get it faster but you have to be very prepared. Now with COVID-19, his visa expired and we have to reapply. I can’t even deal with this headache anymore. I think we just want to give up and stay here in Spain. If you are really thinking of moving to the US, then get married there. You will have to apply for the fiance visa, which is faster (but not that fast). And right now with Covid19, good luck trying to get anything done. The embassy just opened back up today and it’s a nightmare. I would just stay in Spain. It’s lovely here!!!”
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