What document can I use to get married in Spain, if my home country stopped issuing a Certificado de Soltería?

Last Updated on October 25, 2023 by Bruno Bianchi

Question

First time poster, in desperate need of help/guidance. My boyfriend and I would like to get married. I am US and he is Spanish and we want to get married in Madrid. I know I need a certificado de soltería but the issue is my country does not provide this document in any way, and my embassy does not provide anything similar as of august 2021 (i know great timing). I’ve spoken with notaries and lawyers and nobody knows what to tell me in terms of what document I can give to replace it. My question is: I can’t be the first US citizen to get married to a Spaniard since August of last year right? Has anybody gotten married since then and what docs did you give for the marriage?

Answers

These are the answers of some Facebook group members:

“There’s an article in this month’s magazine about getting married in Spain, perhaps that would help. The celebrant is very well versed with the legal side. https://fliphtml5.com/bzbgj/lsts”

“However, here is a list of the general documents that you will need to provide:

Identity document of each member (passport in the case of the foreigner, and DNI or passport in the case of the Spanish citizen)

Updated birth certificate of both members of the couple

Documentation that proves the civil status of each one (single, divorced, or widowed). It is what is known as the certificate of faith of life (“certificado de fe de vida”). In the case of foreigners, if you are in your country of origin, this document can be obtained directly there.

In addition, a bachelorhood certificate or divorce decree (if one of the two members was married and divorced).

Proof of where both members lived during the past 2 years. Depending on the Spanish region in which you live, this proof could be an affidavit, census registration, etc.

Certificate issued by the Consulate of the country of origin of the foreigner that accredits the capacity to contract marriage. Consular registration

Please note that the documents coming from abroad (from your country of origin) must be translated into Spanish and properly legalized.”

“You can obtain the Single Status Affidavit from the local County Clerk. In some States, you may be able to obtain this document from the Court or State Registrar. Please check with the County Clerk first. You can also ask an attorney to prepare this document for you (Single Status Affidavit). If you are outside the country, you can visit the local US Embassy or US Consulate office where the U.S. Federal notary will notarize an affidavit from you stating you are single.https://www.internationalapostille.com/how-to-apostille…/.”

“Is there an option for you to get legally married in Gibraltar then have a ceremony in Madrid? A lot of British and Irish go down this route as seemingly much easier and very little paperwork needed in comparison to Mainland Spain.”

“My Canadian wife and me, Scottish, but living in Spain, have just got married in Gibraltar. You won’t need to prove your single as you sign an oath to that effect before the ceremony. Was easy to do, took 2 days and was not expensive. You get a marriage certificate which is apostilled and is recognised in Spain.”

Bruno Bianchi CEO & Spain Immigration Expert

Bruno Bianchi is the founder and CEO of Spainguru, Spain's largest expat immigration community with 150,000+ members. Since 2014 he has helped thousands of people relocate to Spain through expert guides, webinars and vetted professional services covering visas, residency, taxes and life in Spain.

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