We are going to be in Spain end of May and would like to get married there. Does anyone have any information on how or what we need to get started or who we should contact? We are Canadians and are unsure if we are even able to get married in Spain. Also, we will be in the south of Spain in a town called Casares (near Marbella). Any suggestions for where to get married is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Tony

Hey Tony, sounds like a great plan

You may want to take a look at the places for weddings thread started by "maraslattery", CLICK HERE.

Maybe "maraslattery" can help you out as she has been planning her wedding here for a while now.

Saludos,
jer...

:lo: Marriage in Spain is more complicated than in the United States. Spanish authorities may take 30 to 45 days to approve a marriage application. Policies and procedures vary from region to region. For example, Spanish law appears to permit foreigners who are not Spanish legal residents to marry in Spain. The different autonomous communities in Spain, however, interpret this law differently. Outside Madrid, it may be required that one party be a citizen or resident of Spain. For this reason, the Embassy suggests an American consult beforehand with the regional authorities of the area where the person wants to marry. In general, legal and valid marriages abroad are also legally valid in the United States. Should the parties contracting marriage have any questions about the validity of a marriage performed abroad, they should contact the Attorney General of the state or states of domicile of the parties.

Civil Marriages
In Madrid, applications for civil marriage are made at the Civil Registry at Calle Pradillo, 66, 28002 Madrid, Tel. 91-397-3700, Fax: 91-397-3779. Outside of Madrid, one applies to the District Court of the bride's or groom's residence. One normally needs the following documents:


Application form. Available from the Civil Registry or the District Court.
Birth certificate. This must be an original document bearing the Apostille of the Hague (see Mutual Recognition of Documents). In addition, a translation authenticated by a Spanish consulate in the U.S must be provided.
Proof of freedom to marry. For Spaniards, the Civil Registry has a document for this purpose. Since there is no equivalent document in the U.S., a sworn statement to the effect that the parties are single and free to marry, signed before an American Consul can be used.
Certificate of residence. This document may be obtained at the Junta Municipal of the Tenencia de Alcaldia in the district of residence. If an American is not a permanent resident in Spain, he/she can sign an affidavit before an American Consul indicating his/her place of residence for the last six years.
Posting of Banns. The Posting of Banns is a public declaration of intent to marry. The Embassy or Consulate may issue a letter explaining it is not required in the U.S.
Certificate of Consular Inscription. The Embassy or Consulate can produce this letter once you have registered as a U.S. Citizen in Spain.
If one party was previously married, he/she must present the previous marriage certificate and proof the marriage no longer exists (a divorce decree, an annulment certificate or a death certificate). The documents must be original, bear the Apostille of the Hague, translated into Spanish and the translation authenticated.

Spanish law recognizes religious marriages without a second, civil ceremony. For a religious ceremony, couples first need authorization from the civil authorities, obtained by presenting the requirements described above. Each religious denomination may have separate documentary requirements. As most religious marriages in Spain involve Catholics, the requirements for the Catholic church are outlined below.

A Catholic ceremony involving a foreigner requires the Bishopric's permission (in Madrid: Calle Bailen, 8; Tel. 91-454-6400). Obtaining permission for a Catholic marriage takes from one to three weeks. The following documents are required:


Birth Certificate. It must be translated and the translation authenticated.
Baptismal Certificate. It must have been issued no more than six months prior to the wedding and authenticated by the Bishopric of issuance. It must be translated and the translation authenticated.
Proof that Both Parties are Free to Marry. For Americans this consists of a sworn statement by the parents of the party stating he/she has never been married, witnessed by the parish priest. One should note that a statement made by the party him/herself, while acceptable to the Civil authorities, is not acceptable to the Bishopric in Madrid. The Church insists on a statement by the parents. The Bishopric of the parents' place of residence must authorize and seal the statement. :lo:

Also I am canadian as well which makes the requirements above a little more difficult. Most countries signed on to the Hague Convention which allows authentication of foreign documents a little easier. But Canada did not sign on. The following is the process for canada.

To legalize Birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates,
a) have the signature on these documents authenticated, in Canada, by the Authentication Officer of the
Department of Foreign Affairs
Legal Advisory Division
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ont K1A 0G2
tel: (613) 992 6602
fax: (613) 944 7078

b) and this signature authenticated by the Spanish consular services in Canada
Embajada de Espa�a
74 Stanley Avenue
Ottawa, Ont K1M 1P4
tel: (613) 747 2252
fax: (613) 744 1224

or by the Canadian Embassy in Madrid, tel: 914 233 250

c) and finally, have the consul's signature authenticated in Spain by the Spanish Ministry of External Affairs:

Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores
Secci�n de Legalizaciones
calle General Pardi�as, 55
28006 Madrid
tel: 913 791 606


To legalize other documents
a) have the document notarized in Canada by a Notary Public

b) have the Notary's signature authenticated by the Lieutenant-Governor of the province in which the Notary is commissioned. Requests for authentication are usually chanelled through the Deputy Provincial Secretary of the province. In Quebec, the Secretary of the Board of Notaries in Montreal authenticates these documents.

c) have this signature authenticated by the Spanish consular services in Canada

d) have the Spanish consul's signature authenticated in Spain by the Spanish Ministry of External Affairs

Please note that only original documents (or certified copies of these), bearing the signature of the competent signing authority may be authenticated.

July 2001

it may be a lot to do by the end of may. But I have seen on the internet, companies that organize weddings in spain for foreigners. You may want to look one of them up and see if there is an easier way to do all of this.

WOW maraslattery, thank you sooooooo much!!!

Above and FAR beyond the call of duty!!!

Now THAT is what I call giving back to the board :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Saludos,
jer...

Thank you so much for the info!! There is a lot do to. Looks like I am going to have to get started asap. Thanks again and I'll keep you all posted of any changes and let you know how it pans out.