Everything you need to know about Catholic weddings in Spain

If you have come across this article, it’s because you are thinking about organising your Catholic religious wedding in Spain and you need to know everything to do with it: formalities, courses, prices…

Well we are here to help!

In this article, we will explain all the steps you are going to have to take, the documents you will need, and where to request the service, how to do a pre-matrimonial course, where you can get married, the cost of the church wedding and the formalities after the service. 

Because there are still many foreign couples that come to Spain to get married in the conventional and catholic way in a church!

Let’s begin…

Church, date and appointment with the priest

Before gathering together all the documents that you need to do the appointment for getting married in the church in Spain, the first thing that you have to know is that you must choose your wedding date and a preferred church that suits your needs.

Yes, and if you haven’t yet committed to a date or a church, you have to start here because getting to know the parish priest will really help you with the paperwork.  

The rest of the formalities for a church wedding are not very complicated, and we will tell you what they are, but as soon as you have chosen your date and church, organise an appointment with the priest at the church that you have chosen as soon as possible!

Here is a helpful article that will advise you how to choose the perfect sized church: I’m getting married in a church! But, what is the perfect size?  

Documents for getting married in the church and where to find them

We will name all the documentation needed to get married in a church in Spain. This is everything they are going to ask for!

1. Photocopy of your passport, resident permit or NIE
2. Multilingual birth certificate of both parties. Original and valid. It usually has a validity of 6 months from its distribution and it is obtained from the Civil Registry of your birth country. 
3. Prematrimonial course certificate. The church priest that will marry you is the same person that will issue the certificate.
4. Single Person Certificate / Certificate of Matrimonial Status. This can be obtained in person from the Civil Registry, and they will give it to you instantly.
5. Baptism certificate of both parties. It is obtained at the parish where you were baptised. It is obligatory to have been baptised in order to get married in the church!
6. Certificate of residency in the last two years. This is sent out by the local government of where you live.
7. If you have children together, you are going to need a family register.
8. Parent permission if one or both of the future spouses is underage.
9. If one or both of the spouses is widowed, a multilingual certificate of first marriage and a multilingual certificate of death for your deceased spouse. 
10. If you have had a civil marriage and you have divorced, you must register it to the Civil Registry. Then, you must obtain a Marriage Certificate with Marginal Annotation of Divorce.
11. If you have been married by the church and you have divorced, you must obtain the multilingual certificate of marriage with registration of divorce, just like the sentence of divorce, translated.  
12. One adult witness for each spouse. As documentation, they will need ID and the church will ask them some questions which they must answer. 

Signature of the Marriage Register and Prenuptial Agreement

Once all the documents have been collected, you must request an appointment at the parish to present them, together with your chosen witnesses.

After presenting it, the future husband and wife and the witnesses will sign the Marriage Register and the agreement is published, that is, the public announcement of the intention of the bride and groom to marry to ensure that no one objects to their Catholic marriage. 

Once signed, the Marriage Register should be taken to the priest.

How to do a prematrimonial course

Is the prematrimonial course necessary to get married? Yes. The course is a training programme that the church requires before marriage. This must be attended by the couple in a location determined by the priest that will marry you, although a mutual agreement can be made with the priest from your home country.

If the couple don’t understand or speak Spanish, they must come with an official translator. Furthermore, now these courses can be taken online, so, as soon as you have an appointment with the priest, ask them which way is more convenient. 

Language of the documents and ceremony

The official documents must be translated to Spanish and legalised. They also must be in the bishop’s office at least two months before the date of the celebration of marriage. 

If the couple don’t understand Spanish and they don’t speak it fluently, they must always come with an official interpreter, since all the communications with the priest and the bishop’s office must be translated into Spanish in order to avoid miscommunications later on.

At the time of the marriage ceremony, if the priest doesn’t know the language of the couple, the marriage can also be translated by an official interpreter, as long as the priest sees it fit and necessary. 

In terms of the legal validity of the marriage of foreigners in Spain, the rules established by the Spanish civil authorities apply. 

Where can I get married if my Catholic wedding is in Spain

As a general rule, Catholic weddings are celebrated in a church or chapel, and according to Catholic law, it is considered the best place or the most adequate for marriage because God is present at church. Although you can ask for an exemption because the Catholic church has certain exceptions that will be assessed by the religious authority.  

If your dream is to have your ceremony in a location outside of the church, tell the priest of the Youth Pastoral Delegation of your church what you would like so that you can get permission, as there are many country houses, hotels and venues that have small chapels.  

As long as the person that officiates your wedding is authorised to do so, and the venue where the ceremony is carried out has the facilities to do masses, the marriage is legal.  

Here is an article that will tell you how the events will unfold at a Catholic wedding, the best churches and the best banquets for celebrating your big day: Catholic weddings: this is what you will experience in a Catholic ceremony.

Cost of the wedding in Spain

The paperwork for marrying in the church will cost you the least in terms of documentation, since almost everything can be obtained online for free. However, the priest will ask for a donation to the church.

There are churches that ask for up to 500 euros to marry there, although normally it is around 200 to 300 euros.

Formalities after the wedding

Even after the wedding is over, the paperwork is still not done, and to ensure that it is legal, you have to log the wedding in the Civil Register of the town in which it happened, presenting the marriage certificate, signed by the bride and groom, and the witnesses within the following five days. 

The most common occurrence is that the church itself will deal with this, although there is also the possibility that a close friend or family member will do it on your behalf because… you will most likely be enjoying your dreamy honeymoon already!

So, now that you know all the necessary requirements for your Catholic religious wedding in Spain, it is time to wait excitedly for the big day to arrive and start choosing a good venue to celebrate the cocktail hour, banquet and party. 

At Perfect Venue, we will take care of everything for you. We are specialists!