Getting Married in Spain or Gibraltar
If you’re planning to marry in Spain or Gibraltar you should be aware of the documents you have to file in both cases. Although these are for a civil wedding, you’ll also need them for a religious wedding, plus whatever your priest, minister, imam or rabbi will require to comply with your faith’s regulations.
In Gibraltar you have to file the birth certificates of the couple, a document certifying that a person is not married, and if one or both are divorced, the marriage certificate(s) of previous weddings and the divorce decree.
In the case of widowers and widows, you have to file the marriage certificate of previous wedding(s) and the death certificate(s) of previous spouse(s). Of course, passports are also needed. In the case of non EU citizens, the residence card of the EU country where they live is also required. Citizens from some countries like Russia, Ukraine and others have to apply for a visa to enter Gibraltar, too. In case of doubt, please ring the British Consulate in Malaga or the British Embassy in Madrid to obtain the information.
In Gibraltar the application for the wedding licence costs £150 and it is recommended that you apply two months in advance to the wedding date you’re scheduling. The Civil Status office, located at 3 Secretary’s Lane, Joshua Hassan House, is open from 9 am to 12.45 pm but documents can only be filed from 9 am to 10.30 am. Documents can be filed until the day previous to the wedding. All documents not issued in English should be filed accompanied by a certified translation into this language.
If you’re considering getting married in Spain you’ll need same documents as above, except the residence card if you’re not Spanish. A passport will suffice. But in this case, any document not issued in Spanish will have to be accompanied by a sworn and official (certified) translation into this language.
In Spain you can get married at the Registry Office or at any town hall. In Malaga the Registry Office is at Tomas Heredia St., 18 and hours are 9 am to 2 pm. Whether you choose the Registry Office or any town hall, documents have to be filed with the Registry Office and advise them of the town hall you have chosen, if any.
In Spain you don’t have to pay anything to get married, except if you choose a fancy setting like Castillo Bil-Bil or Finca La Concepcion, where you have to wait between 8 and 12 months because of the waiting list. To get married in coastal towns or very popular places like Mijas, you’ll have to wait no less than two months, but if you choose inland town halls like Casares or Competa, you can get married in one or two weeks.
A very important question to take into consideration: if someone from a non EU country is marrying a Spaniard or any EU citizen, both will have to pass through separate interviews, like in the USA, when many personal questions will be asked, going from your future spouse’s family, father’s occupation, degrees obtained, to his/her favourite colour, how you first met, etc. I had to go through this two years ago and can tell you it’s very serious. This measure has been taken to avoid marriages for convenience since Spanish authorities know there are persons paying up to Euros 8,000 to an EU citizen for a fake marriage.
