Form

Apply for a foreign marriage recognition certificate in Spain

Application pack to get a foreign marriage recognition certificate for a Spanish residence card.

• From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• Published: 26 November 2024

Documents

Foreign marriage recognition certificate application

PDF, 1.48 MB, 8 pages

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Details

You may need a foreign marriage recognition certificate if you’re a British person living in Spain and you got married in a country other than Spain or the UK.

It’s not possible to register a marriage in the UK if it happened in another country, or for British embassies or consulates to confirm the validity of marriages that take place abroad. A foreign marriage recognition certificate can be used if local authorities ask for legal recognition of a marriage, for example, if your spouse applies for a residence card from a Spanish foreigners’ office (extranjería).

If your spouse is a British national, they’ll also need to apply for a foreign marriage recognition certificate. You must both be living in Spain when you apply.

A foreign marriage recognition certificate is not used to support Spanish visa applications.

How to apply 

1. Download and complete the foreign marriage recognition certificate application. 
2. Send the completed application form and supporting documents to [email protected]. 
3. Staff will contact you within 10 days to ask for further information if they need it, or to arrange an appointment at your nearest consulate.
4. Pay for your certificate – staff will send you a link to pay online before your appointment.
5. Attend the consular appointment with your spouse to make a declaration about your marriage and collect your certificate.

Translating your documents

You’ll need to get any documents that are not in English or Spanish translated into Spanish by a qualified translator. British consulates cannot provide translations.

See the application pack for more details. 

Legalising your documents

Spanish foreigners’ offices will usually need your marriage certificate to have been issued and legalised no more than 3 months before you apply for a residence card. If your marriage certificate was issued or legalised more than 3 months before, check what your local foreigners’ office will accept before you apply for a foreign marriage recognition certificate.

See the application pack for more details.

Published 26 November 2024