Marrying or registering a pareja de hecho in Spain: which documents to translate
Updated · Official sources checked
Short answer
Foreign civil documents — birth certificates, proof of marital status, divorce records — must be apostilled and, if not in Spanish, translated by a sworn translator appointed by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The exact list depends on the registry: in Madrid, a pareja de hecho also needs 12 months of joint registration at the same address.
Foreign documents
Apostille, then sworn translation
Madrid: who may translate
A sworn translator or interpreter appointed by the MAEC
Madrid: joint empadronamiento
12 months at the same address
UK nationals
Certificate of no impediment issued in Spain
Pareja de hecho in the Comunidad de Madrid
- Documents from another country must be legalised under the Hague Convention, with an apostille, or through Spanish consular services where the country is not a party.
- A document in another language must be translated by “una persona traductora o intérprete jurado” appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Only originals are accepted.
- Each partner proves marital status with documents from the country of their nationality: a certificate of capacity to marry or of single status; for a divorce, the full marriage certificate with its annotation; if widowed, the marriage and death certificates.
- Both partners must have been registered (empadronados) at the same address for the twelve months before applying, and live in the Comunidad de Madrid.
- Registration and marital status certificates are valid for three months from issue.
For British nationals, the UK government says a marital status certificate (MSC) might be needed to register a pareja de hecho. It takes applications online only, since 3 February 2025.
Other regions set their own rules
Pareja de hecho registries are run by each autonomous community, and the requirements differ. Check your own region’s registry before ordering translations.
Getting married in Spain
Which documents you need depends on the Registro Civil where you marry, so start with its list. Foreign civil records such as birth certificates and divorce decrees are public documents: they carry an apostille and, when not in Spanish, a sworn translation.
The UK government notes that one of you must live in Spain or be a Spanish national to marry there. British nationals apply to it online for a certificate of no impediment (CNI), signing the forms in front of a notary in Spain, each form separately. If you live in the UK, you first get a CNI from a UK register office and then apply to exchange it for one issued in Spain, because the authorities in Spain only accept a CNI issued there.
The United States has no federal certificate of no impediment, so ask the Registro Civil what proof of single status it accepts.
Questions
Juranza is a translation service, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. Requirements published by Spanish consulates and immigration offices change without notice — always check your own consulate before submitting.
Do I need a sworn translation of my birth certificate to marry in Spain?
If it is not in Spanish, yes: foreign civil documents are apostilled and translated by a sworn translator appointed by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Check the Registro Civil’s own list first.
How long do I need to be registered together for a pareja de hecho in Madrid?
Twelve months at the same address before the application, and you must live in the Comunidad de Madrid. Other regions set their own requirements.
How old can my certificates be?
In Madrid, registration and marital status certificates are valid for three months from the date they were issued.
Where does a British citizen get a certificate of no impediment for Spain?
From the UK government, online, with the forms signed in front of a notary in Spain. If you live in the UK, you first get a CNI from a UK register office and then exchange it for one issued in Spain, because Spanish authorities only accept a CNI issued there.