Register your civil marriage in the Registro Civil

What you need to have to hand

1. Identification: DNI/NIE or passport for both.
2. Wedding details: date, place and who officiated (juzgado, ayuntamiento, notario or religious rite with civil effects).
3. Address and competent Registro Civil: normally the one for the place of celebration; if it was abroad, the Registro Civil Central is involved.

Documentation

1. Certificados de nacimiento of both (issued within the last 6 months). If foreign, apostilla and traducción jurada if not in Spanish.
2. Certificado de empadronamiento of both (last 3 months).
3. Acta/diligencia de celebración (if the juzgado/ayuntamiento/notario did not send it electronically). For religious weddings with civil effects, the corresponding ecclesiastical certification.
4. Previous situation: if there was a prior marriage, bring certificado literal del matrimonio anterior con nota de divorcio or sentencia firme; if widowed, certificado de defunción.
5. For foreigners: certificado de capacidad matrimonial o de soltería from the country of origin, apostillado and traducido if required.
6. Hoja declaratoria de datos (if your Registro uses it; they’ll give it there or you can download it from their site if available).

Step by step

1. Confirm the route: if you married in a juzgado/ayuntamiento/notario, they usually send the acta to the Registro Civil of the place. Check if they already sent it so you don’t make a wasted trip.
2. If they’ve sent it, wait 1–3 weeks and request the certificado literal de matrimonio (online with Cl@ve/certificado or in person). That document opens most doors.
3. If they DIDN’T send it or your wedding was abroad/religious, assemble the documents above and apply for the inscription at the competent Registro Civil (place of celebration or your domicilio; abroad goes to the Registro Civil Central).
4. Submission: where DICIREG is available you can try registro electrónico with Cl@ve/certificado digital; if the office is still analogue, go in person. Some ask for cita previa even if it’s not obvious on the web.
5. Follow-up: they may request subsanación if an apostilla or translation is missing. Don’t argue: bring it and avoid extra rounds.
6. Collect or download the literal and check names, dates and régimen económico (if provided). If there’s an error, request rectificación ASAP.

Time-saving tricks

• Order both certificados de nacimiento at the same time and make sure they’re freshly issued so they don’t expire.
• For foreign papers, get the apostilla before translating and use a traductor jurado from the official list.
• If your ceremony was before a notary or ayuntamiento, ask for the número de asiento or remisión so you know when to request the literal.
• Keep a PDF of the literal and a couple of paper copies. You’ll need them for DNI, Seguridad Social and sometimes Hacienda.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Bringing expired certificates: back home. Empadronamiento (3 months), birth (6 months).
• Forgetting the apostilla or a traducción jurada: they’ll ask for subsanación and you’ll lose weeks.
• Trying to register in the wrong Registro: it’s the one for the place of celebration; if it was abroad it ends up in the Registro Civil Central.
• Assuming it’s “already registered” because you married yesterday: sometimes it takes. Until the asiento exists you can’t get the literal.
• Thinking there’s a fee: the inscription is gratuita. You’ll only pay for translations/apostilles if applicable.