How to get married in Gran Canaria

If you’re thinking about getting married in Gran Canaria, you’re probably thinking ‘How exactly do we go
about this?’
Let us explain…

Non-Residents

There are two options available to non-residents in Gran Canaria; one is to be legally married via the Catholic Church and the other is in the form of a blessing, which would follow-on after a civil ceremony back in your home country.
Legal marriage via the Catholic Church
  • One of the couple must be of the Catholic faith.
  • Both persons must not have been married previously.
  • If you choose this option you will need to arrange a meeting with your local Parish Priest, a minimum of 6 months prior to your preferred wedding date.
  • Relate your plans to your Parish Priest; he will then forward the relevant information to your local Diocese.
  • This information will then be transferred to the Diocese here in Gran Canaria.
Religious Ceremony (blessing) in Gran Canaria
  • In most cases a small civil ceremony service is conducted in the couple’s home country, often with only 2 witnesses.
  • A religious or spiritual ceremony is then conducted in Gran Canaria and is considered as the actual wedding day by all involved.
  • There are many advantages to choosing this option; in particular, your legal paperwork will be in English. This avoids translation and legalization issues.
  • This tends to be the preferred option, as it allows the couple to tailor-make their wedding ceremony, location and overall theme. It offers you and your guests the utmost in flexibility and allows you to create the wedding of your dreams. It is also generally viewed by the wedding couple and their guests as their ‘true wedding day’, the one which they will remember for years to come.

Residents

If one of you is a resident here in the Canaries you can legally marry here via the civil registry office or town hall. We’ll be entering into this in more detail in the next edition of the Canary News.

Same sex marriages are also legal on the island. As with heterosexual marriages one of you needs to be a resident. If not, a spiritual union can be organized following a civil ceremony in your own country.
Your wedding ceremony is going to be one of the many highlights of your day so finding the best option for you is vital.
We can help you with all the paperworks and we will be guiding you through the process. If you have any questions or if you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Bernadette Garside
Tel nº: 653 642 208

Civil Ceremony in Gran Canaria

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Civil Ceremonies in Gran Canaria – The legal paperwork

In last week’s article on “How to get married in Gran Canaria” I explained that in order to legally marry in Gran Canaria via a Civil Ceremony, one or both of you need to be a resident on the island.  I’m now going to go into greater detail as to the legal paperwork required in order to go about this.

As we have a multi-national readership we’re going to cover all nationalities as the necessary paperwork varies between countries.

If you follow this step by step guide, organizing the paperwork for your Canarian wedding isn’t as daunting as what you might initially think.

First you need to make an appointment to transmit all the necessary paperwork at the Civil Registry Office in your borough.  They will give you a list of all the paperwork you need to bring to the appointment with you.  It’s important you collect this list from them as processes and requirements may change from year to year.

As the appointment can take between 2 to 3 months to take place, it is advisable to make the appointment first and then prepare all the necessary paperwork.

Appointments can be made at the Civil Registry offices by calling between 09.00h and 13.00h Monday to Friday.

It’s also important to remember that Spanish is spoken in all official offices on the island so if you do not speak Spanish you are required to take a translator along with you.

If all the paperwork is correct by the date of your appointment, it takes around one month to receive the authorization to marry.

Once receiving the paperwork, it is then valid for up to 6 months so bear this in mind when setting a wedding date.

Citizens of France, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Holland, Dutch Antilles, Switzerland and Turkey need to present:

1)       Certificate of capacity to marry from your country of origin (according to the Munich signed agreement 5 of September 1980), you can contact your consulate for more information regarding this document.

2)      An International Birth Certificate or an original Birth Certificate in its own language with the Hague Apostille Stamp and a legal translation into Spanish.

3)      A Certificate of registration on the electoral role in your borough (municipio)  “Certificado de Empadronamiento” in Gran Canaria.

4)      The original and photocopy of your passport.

For citizens of other countries including the UK and Ireland you need a few more documents:

1)      The original legalized and translated Birth Certificate (issued within one year of the wedding date).

2)      A Certificate of being on the electoral role in Gran Canaria for at least 2 years, or a Consulate Certificate accrediting your residency for the last 2 years whether in Spain or another country.  At least one of the couple wishing to marry must be registered on the electoral role here in the borough where they wish to marry and this must be proven with a “Certificado de Empadronamiento”.

3)      A Consular Certificate accrediting the publication of the EDICTS (proclamations/bands) of civil marriage in Spain (if this applies to the law in your country).

4)      A Certificate of marital status, applied for via your consulate or the appropriate authorities in your country.

5)      The original and photocopy of your passport and residents certificate (the green A4 paper or the older plastic ID card).

6)      A witness with their original and photocopy of their passport, DNI or residents certificate.

7)      If you are divorced you need your legalized and translated marriage and divorce certificates.

8)      If you are a widow, you need your legalized and translated marriage certificate and partners’ death certificate.

It’s important to remember that all the documentation that is not in Spanish needs to be translated by a “Traductor Jurado Oficial” (Official Sworn Translator) and legally authorized by the corresponding authorities.

More information can also be obtained from your corresponding embassy or consulate or visit my website www.perfectweddingcompany.com.

If you have a Wedding Planner, they will help you with all your paperwork, the legalization and the official translation of all documents.

Gran Canaria is such a beautiful island to get married on.  It’s well worth taking the time to organize the legal paperwork and celebrate your special day with your family and friends in this magical place!

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