Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question about pareja de hecho
Is it possible to do pareja de hecho with someone who is not Spanish? My boyfriend has an Italian passport, and I’m from the US. We’re currently in Madrid but plan on moving to Andalusia if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance!
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“There shouldn’t be a problem if they have an EU passport but there may be some fine print about how long the non Spanish EU citizen has been in Spain. I was looking into doing this with my bf and found out he had to be empadronado (registered at the city council where you live/have an address) in Spain for min. 1 year before we could file paperwork.”
“It’s perfectly possible. Your Italian partner has to obtain a green card, though. The passport, while necessary, isn’t sufficient alone.”
“You will need to check the rules in your region. My boyfriend is Italian also and I know that in the Basque Country it is not allowed if one partner is not a Spanish citizen.”
“Yes you can register pdh in Spain of civil partnerships of any country.
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Explore Cities →But getting residency on basis of pdh is for EU citizens with residencia only.
If partner was EU, he would still need to gain residency as EU citizen first, and register pdh in Spain for you to subsequently gain residencia as pdh of a resident EU citizen.
Ie. Residencia de pdh de ciudadano del Union UE”
“Yes it is possible. If in malaga city you only need to have been on the padrón with him for a matter of days. So you can apply quickly. Expect a 3 or 4 month process and at least 2 appointments at the Delegación.”
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