Church Weddings in Spain

It is possible to have a wedding in a Catholic Church in Spain without meeting the residency requirements for a civil marriage. The marriage needs to be registered with the civil authorities afterwards, but this is a straightforward process.

Although Spanish law recognises Protestant, Islamic and Jewish marriages as valid without the need of a second civil marriage, this is only the case if you are also eligible to marry in a civil ceremony. Since this requires a 2 year residency on the part of either the bride or groom, in practical terms it means the church ceremony can only take place following a civil wedding outside Spain.

For general information about getting married abroad in Churches other than Roman Catholic Churches, see here.

The Gibraltar Alternative

A popular option is to have civil marriage in Gibraltar, which has a far more relaxed regime, then a religious one in Spain subsequently.

About Getting Married in Gibraltar

Roman Catholic Weddings in Spain

A Catholic ceremony involving a foreigner requires the permission of the Bishop in the diocese where the couple will marry. Obtaining permission for a Catholic marriage usually takes between one and three weeks, but may take longer so early application is advisable.

For general details about organising a Catholic wedding in a foreign country, see here.

Obtaining Bishops Permission

This list of contact details for all Catholic Dioceses in Spain is in Spanish, but nonetheless useful.

All documentation submitted to the Bishop must be accompanied by authenticated translations into Spanish.

• Birth Certificate
• Baptismal Certificate issued no more than six months prior to the wedding and authenticated by the Bishop in in your home Diocese.
• Proof that Both Parties are Free to Marry, ie Certificate of Freedom to Marry (Fe de Solteria y Vida). More information about that here.

You need to make contact with a  church and arrange for a priest to celebrate the wedding separately.

Finding a Church in Spain

We have a list of some English-speaking churches in Spain below. This is by no means an exhaustive list. In areas where there is a large English speaking ex-pat community there are likely to be English speaking clergy in local churches.

Note that you need to book your church in Spain well in advance, especially during the summer and at weekends.

Where the church has no website we provide some contact details, but these may not be current. Oddly it is more difficult to find information about Roman Catholic Churches than any others, although these are by far the most numerous in Spain.

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