Sworn translation to register a civil partnership in Spain

What registering a civil partnership involves

A civil partnership (pareja de hecho) is the stable union of two people who live together without being married and want that relationship on official record. It isn't marriage, but it opens the door to rights that matter day to day: time off work, a survivor's pension in some cases, tax breaks depending on the region, and a smoother residence process for the non-EU partner of an EU citizen.

You register at the regional partnership registry —or the municipal one, depending on where you live— and each region sets its own conditions: a minimum period of living together, joint town-hall registration, age, no existing marriage. One detail is worth grasping early. Almost everywhere, you have to prove that neither of you is married or already in a registered partnership, and when those certificates come from outside Spain, the registry wants them in Spanish, as a sworn translation.

This page isn't a legal guide to the procedure. The requirements, deadlines and exact paperwork are set by your region or town hall, so always confirm them at the official source. What we handle is our part of it: the translation.

Which documents need a sworn translation

Not every page of your file is in another language, but the ones that arrive from abroad almost always need a sworn translation into Spanish. For a civil partnership, these are the usual ones:

• Single-status or no-impediment certificate — the key one. It proves you aren't married or already in a registered partnership. The name changes from country to country (certificate of no impediment, certificat de célibat), but it does the same job.
• Birth certificate, which the registry tends to ask for to confirm identity, age and parentage.
• Town-hall residence or registration certificate from your home country, where you need to evidence a previous address or living together outside Spain.
• Divorce decree or death certificate of a former spouse, if you've been married, to show that bond no longer stands.
• Passport or ID document, when it carries details not written in the Latin alphabet.

One detail that holds files up: many of these documents carry a Hague apostille, and the apostille is part of the document, so it's translated along with it, in the same sworn translation. Translate only the certificate and leave the apostille in its original language, and the registry can hand the file straight back as incomplete.

A word on validity, because it's easy to muddle. A sworn translation signed by a translator accredited by Spain's MAEC is officially valid in Spain, which is where you register your partnership. The thing that crosses borders is the apostille on your home-country document; the translation you order because the Spanish administration asks for it, here.

How we work at Textualia

Everything happens online, with no office visits. Upload a scan or a sharp photo of your document, pick the language pair (English→Spanish or French→Spanish) and see the price right away. A translator accredited by the MAEC does the work, then stamps, signs and certifies that the translation is faithful to the original.

By default you get a digitally signed PDF, easy to attach to your file and accepted for online submissions. Does your registry or town hall want a physical copy? We issue one on official Spanish stamped paper (papel timbrado) and post it to you. You pick the format: one, the other, or both.

We keep the original's terminology and layout. Names, dates, stamps and the apostille are reproduced precisely, because a detail that doesn't match your passport or a mistyped date can be enough to get your application bounced.

Why Textualia

Because this is all we do. We recognise a British certificate of no impediment or a French certificat de célibat at a glance, and we know what a Spanish registry expects to see in each. If both of you are submitting documents, we handle them together so you reach the registry with everything in order and in the same format.

You know where you stand from the start: a fixed price the moment you upload, VAT included, no fine print. One billable page per 250 words, a 35 € minimum per order, and 24h or 12h rush options if your appointment is closing in.

We don't give legal advice or decide whether your registration goes through: that's down to your regional registry or town hall. What we do guarantee is a sworn translation that arrives clean, on time and in the right format.

Gather your documents, check whether they carry an apostille, and order the sworn translation. We'll send your file back ready to submit.