MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

Marriage and Divorce

Marriage and Divorce

Marriage and Divorce Spain

Introduction

Despite the drop in the number of marriages and a visit to the church in Spain, a church wedding with all the finish is the dream of most of the Spanish girls. Marriage Bureau are common in cities and in the agencies are popular throughout Spain, with the applicants to meet an unlimited number of potential partners. (http://www.decottalaw.com/)

Surprisingly, almost 70 percent of Spaniards aged fewer than 30 live with their parents, though, and exorbitant property prices in many regions, partly responsible for this.

Discussion

Of marriage in the Roman Catholic Church in Spain, at least one partner must be Roman Catholic, as a divorced wife was not allowed to marry in the Spanish church, if the previous marriage was solemnised in the church. The certificate of baptism as well as the required statement from your former priest that you are Roman Catholic and free to marry. You will receive a certificate from the priest, to be submitted within one week in the local civil registration in order to obtain an official marriage certificate. (Solsona 1999)

Spouses also receive family book (book-de-Familia), when they marry, which is the official registration of couples and their children. It is necessary for children to present this when they apply for their license, social security cards, and when to marry or divorce (or, if someone dies). (Houle 2004)

In the two non-Catholic foreigners to marry in Spain, you must have lived (and have been domiciled) in Spain, at least two years. Marriages are conducted in Spanish offices of civil registration and chaired by a judge (a church wedding for non-Catholics in Spain are not legally recognized). If you are divorced or widowed, you must prepare a formal divorce or death certificate. A divorced person requires a legal declaration (Certificado-de-Ley), drawn up by lawyer and legalized by the Spanish consul in the country of origin.

Some foreigners find it easier to get married abroad, for example, the British and the Americans can get married in Gibraltar, where the couples married in the registry office in front of two witnesses. Many foreigners may also be married to his country's embassy in Spain. (Solsona 1999)

Concerned about the country's high divorce rate, clergy, academics, sociologists, politicians, and others have called for measures to slow it down. One proposal is to return to fault-based divorce, which was the law of the land prior to 1969. Divorce then was granted only in specific circumstances, generally limited to infidelity, physical or mental cruelty, or desertion. Couples who wished to divorce had to prove in court that one spouse was solely responsible for the breakdown of the marriage. Only the innocent party was allowed to sue for divorce, thus ensuring that all divorces granted were consented to by both spouses. If one spouse did not want a divorce and was not guilty of any transgression, a divorce would not be granted. If both partners were found guilty of fault, they were deemed to deserve each other and no divorce was ...