How to get married in Spain before a notary

Are you considering marriage in Spain? It is feasible to get married in Spain before a notary without needing to attend or complete any formalities at the Civil Registry. This guide provides instructions on initiating the marriage process before a notary.

You already know that, until very recently, the marriage file was a file that had to be initiated in the Civil Registry at the address of one of the contracting parties, or of both if they lived at the same address.

Due to the large volume of work that most of the civil registries in Spain have today, it was very common to find ourselves with somewhat collapsed registries that took several months to process a file of this type. This caused many couples to consider either signing up as a Pareja de Hecho or definitely not getting married, given the bureaucratic process that this entails.

There are ¡mportant differences between notaries in Spain and the US. Check out our article Notaries in Spain vs. the US: What Are the Key Differences You Need to Know? to find out.

Get married in Spain

Prior to April 30, 2021, we could legally wed before a notary, but only after we had begun the marriage file in the Civil Registry that corresponded to our address.

This allowed us to get married in front of a notary, or at least perform the final act of “Yes, i do” in front of a notary, once we had all the necessary documentation and had visited the Civil Registry.

This did not indicate any speed or a shortening of the time it took for us to finally be able to get married, as we were still required to open a marriage file at the Civil Registry and thus depend on the workload of these organizations.

The good news is that starting this marriage file directly at the notary is already possible as of April 30 2021.

The process of getting married in Spain is this way much quicker. 

Start the marriage file before a notary

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed the Administration’s shortcomings and how reliant we were on appointments and in-person actions.

The number of couples who have decided to get married has significantly decreased as a result of the months of confinement and the months of restrictions that have followed. 

In this way, and since there is a chance that the marriage file will begin before a notary, taking all the paperwork there and getting married in just two weeks can be a push to increase these kinds of files.

Documents required for a notary wedding

What legal documents must I present in order to get married in front of a notary? Generally speaking, you will require the following documentation:

• Identity document of both parties
• Literal birth certificate of each of the members of the couple.
• Historical city hall registration certificate (empadronamiento histórico)
• Judicial testimony, the firm order of approval of the marriage file. As of April 30, 2021, as we have indicated, the notary can process it directly.
• In case either member of the couple was previously married, a marriage certificate stating divorce, annulment or death of the former spouse is required. It’s important to note that a divorce certificate is not available in Spain, and instead, the updated marital status will be recorded on the marriage certificate. Non-Spanish spouses must provide a certificate of singleness (Certificado de Soltería) or marriage capacity (Certificado de capacidad matrimonial) issued by their home country.

We remind you that if any of the contracting parties is a foreign citizen, they must also provide the Certificate on the need for publication of edicts. This document must be managed at the Consulate of your country in Spain.

We also remind you that all the documentation that has been managed abroad must come correctly apostilled or legalized and where appropriate, if necessary, correctly translated through sworn translator authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

Get married before a notary

Here, we must distinguish between two phases:

1. Submit the Marriage File before a notary

Starting with the marriage file, the first phase of the process that we must begin is the file as such. In order to accomplish this, we must first:

• First, take care of all the aforementioned documentation.
• Send a form to our Autonomous Community’s College of Notaries so they can appoint us a notary.

As we said, the Notary Association will assign us a notary nearby once the form is sent with all the necessary information. A notary will be assigned to us from the College of Notaries in this initial step as it is not possible for us to select one on our own. You will find the necessary details, forms, and instructions for requesting this marriage file in each Autonomous Community below.

• Matrimonial Record before a Notary Public in Madrid
  • You will have to send This form as a PDF file, correctly signed, together with the DNI or Passports and the certificate of registration to the email: matrimonios@madrid.notariado.org
    You can also submit your application in person at Calle Ruiz de Alarcón 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
    
• Marriage file before a Notary in Andalusia, Ceuta or Melilla.
  • Those interested in the notarial authorization of the previous marriage certificate must complete the form application form and send it, together with the copy of the registration certificate of the interested party whose address is to serve as a connection point, to one of these two email addresses:
    • expedientematrimonial.se@andalucia.notariado.org, if the chosen domicile is in the provinces of Cádiz, Córdoba, Huelva or Seville or in the autonomous city of Ceuta.-
    • expedientematrimonial.gr@andalucia.notariado.org, if the chosen address is in the provinces of Almería, Granada, Jaén or Málaga or in the autonomous city of Melilla.
      
• Matrimonial File before a Notary Public in the Valencian Community
  • Application once completed, together with the receipt of the bank deposit of the provision of funds, it must be sent to the following email address: expedientamatrimonial@cnotarial-valencia.com
    It may also be presented in person before any notary or at the different offices of the Notary Association in Valencia, Castellón or Alicante.
    
• Marriage File before a Notary Public in Murcia
  • The requests to urge the processing of the prior marriage certificate may be formulated in person at the Notarial College of Murcia or by email to the email address: expedientesmatrimoniales@murcia.notariado.org, accompanying in both cases the form published on this page, duly completed, together with a copy of the applicants’ ID and their certificate of registration, all in PDF format.
    
• Matrimonial file before a Notary in Catalonia
  • Here’s the solicitud de expediente matrimonial in Catalonia.
    
• Marriage File before a Notary in Extremadura
  • By email: This will be sent PDF form, along with the DNI and registration to the mail: expedientes_matrimoniales@extremadura.notariado.org, accompanying:
  • By postal mail: Illustrious Notarial Association of Extremadura, C/ Muñoz Chaves, nº 10. Office entrance C/ Camberos, nº 1) 10003-Cáceres
  • In person: Offices of the Notarial Association of Extremadura, at C/ Camberos, nº 1 10003 Cáceres
    
• Matrimonial Record before a Notary in Castilla La Mancha
  • By email: send the completed application and signed, and a copy of the DNI or Passports and the registration certificates, of both parties, to the following address: secretaria@castilla-lamancha.notariado.org
  • In person, providing the DNI of both spouses and a certificate of registration, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at: The Headquarters of the Notarial Association in Albacete, Calle Marqués de Molins, number 4. The Delegation of the Association in Toledo, Calle Bern 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
    
• Matrimonial File before a Notary Public in the Basque Country
  • By mail: send PDF of the completed application  and signed, the DNI or Passports and the certificate of registration to the mail: colegio@paisvasco.notariado.org.
  •  In person at the College of Notaries, at any of its three offices from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., bringing the original DNI of both spouses and the original and photocopy of the registration certificate.
• Matrimonial file before a Notary in the Balearic Islands: The contact details of the College of Notaries are: C/ Vía Roma, 4, Tel: 971 712 244 Fax: 971 718 764, 07012 PALMA DE MALLORCA, e-mail: colegio@baleares.notariado.org

• Marriage File before a Notary in Castilla y León: The contact information of the College of Notaries in Castilla y León is: Teresa Gil, 14 47002 Valladolid (Valladolid), Telephone: 983.217.775, Fax: 983.217.776, E-mail:info @castillayleon.notariado.org
  
• Marriage file before a Notary in Asturias: The contact details of the Association of Notaries in Asturias is: Plaza Alfonso II el casto, 1233003 OVIEDO, Telephone 985 213 008 Fax 985 208 245, email: colegio@asturias.notariado.org
  
• Marriage File before a Notary in Aragon: The address of the College of Notaries in Aragon is Plaza del Justicia, 2, Telephone 976 20.37.80, Telefax 976 20 37 81. E-mail addresses: info@aragon.notariado.org O secretaria@aragon.notariado.org
  
• Matrimonial Record before a Notary in Cantabria: The address of the College of Notaries in Cantabria is Avenida de los Infantes Nº5-B (Access via C/ Sojo y Lomba) 39005 Santander (Cantabria), e-mail: consumidores@cantabria.notariado.org, Telephone: 942274011 Fax: 942291235.
  
• Marriage File before a Notary in Galicia: We leave you the contact information of the College of Notaries of Galicia. The address is: Arzobispo Lago, 12 (CP 15004).- A Coruña., Telephones: 981 12 04 81 – 981 12 04 78 – 981 12 25 68 – 981 12 26 04, F A X : 981 12 20 14, e-mail: info@galicia.notariado.org
  
• Marriage File before a Notary in Navarra: We leave you the contact information of the College of Notaries of Navarra. The address is: Avda. Carlos III el Noble, 27, 31002 Pamplona/Iruña (Navarra), Phone: 948.228.938 – Email: info@navarra.notariado.org
  
• Marriage File before a Notary in the Canary Islands: We leave you the contact information of the College of Notaries itself.
  • HEADQUARTERS IN LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA: The address is: C. Los Balcones,18, 35001 – Las Palmas de G.C. Phone: 928336178 – 928336186, Fax: 928317961,colegio@canarias.notariado.org
    archivo@canarias.notariado.org
  • DELEGATION IN STA. TENERIFE CROSS: Calle El Pilar 7, 1º, Sta. Cruz de Tenerife. Phone: 922298066, Fax: 922281222, delegaciontenerife@canarias.notariado.org

2. The wedding ceremony before a notary in Spain

As soon as we have the marriage file in its current form, we are free to choose our notary and be able to celebrate the marriage ceremony.

You must keep in mind that depending on the amount of work each notary has, each phase will take a certain amount of time. The cost of each process will be determined by each notary, which means that we must pay a fee to open the marriage file and an additional fee for the wedding ceremony, among other things.

The good news is that everyone who wants to get married is able to do so within a few weeks, which is a huge advantage. This raises the possibility that your foreign partner will have quicker access to the Community Card if you do.

In conclusion, getting married in Spain before a notary has become easier and quicker thanks to recent changes in the process. Couples are no longer required to start the marriage file at the Civil Registry, and instead, can initiate it directly with a notary. The required documentation for a notary wedding includes identity documents, birth certificates, registration certificates, and, if applicable, a marriage certificate stating divorce, annulment, or death of a former spouse. Non-Spanish spouses must also provide a certificate of singleness or marriage capacity issued by their home country. The process of initiating the marriage file before a notary varies slightly depending on the Autonomous Community, but all follow similar steps. Overall, these changes are expected to encourage more couples to get married in Spain and facilitate the process for those who choose to do so.