El blog de Maria

The marriage certificate is an official document that certifies the celebration of a marriage.

There are several types:

A) Positive Certificate:

• Extract: This is a summary of the information registered in the Civil Register regarding the celebration of the marriage and the identity of the individuals who were married. There are different versions:
  • Ordinary: It is issued in Spanish in the autonomous communities in which the only official language is Spanish.
    International or multilingual: This version is valid in the countries that have ratified the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976. This certificate is issued in the official language of each of the signatory countries of that convention (Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey, Serbia-Montenegro).
  • Bilingual: Whenever an extract certificate is requested in an autonomous community that has its own official language, the certificate will be issued in Spanish and in the official language of the autonomous community in which it is issued.
• Literal: This is a literal copy of the marriage registration, containing all of the data related to the wedding, the identity of the individuals who were married and any notes added to the margins (prenuptial agreement, separation, annulment or divorce, etc.).

B) Negative Certificate: These certify that the marriage has not been registered at that Civil Register.

It may be requested by any citizen who requires it or has interest in it, except where the law prohibits publication without special authorisation of information regarding:

• Adoption, extramarital or unknown relationships or details that unveil such circumstances; the date of marriage indicated on the page of birth, if the former were later than the latter or it occurred within the 180 days prior to the birth; the change of a Foundling surname or other similar or inconvenient ones.
• Sex change.
• Causes for annulment, separation or divorce, or the loss or suspension of parental authority.
• Filed documents related to the details in the items above or to dishonourable circumstances or those of a reserved nature included in the file.
• Abortion files.

Authorisation in these cases is granted by the Judge responsible, and only to those who certify legitimate interest and a well-founded reason for requesting it. The certificate indicates the name of the individual making the request, the reasons for issuing it and the express authorisation of the Registrar or Acting Registrar, who will personally issue the certificate from the Register directly under his or her control.