Many clients who come to our offices ask us how they can formalize their relationship with their partner. While it is true that we can also formalize a relationship with a partner through marriage, in this article we will discuss establishing a common-law partnership.
Where can we register it? We can do so at a notary’s office or directly with the Catalonia Civil Partnership Registry.
How can we establish it? The Civil Code of Catalonia provides us with three options:
The first condition is whether the couple has lived together for more than two consecutive years. In this case, the Civil Partnership Registry will require an updated certificate of historical residence, in addition to other documents such as the couple’s identification documents or the birth certificates of the applicants.
The second condition is whether, during the period of cohabitation, it is proven that they have a child together. In this case, the Domestic Partnership Registry will request a full birth certificate or family register showing their child together. It is important that the child was born during the period of cohabitation.
The third option is if both parties formalize the relationship in a notarized deed. In this case, we mean that the couple must go to a notary’s office to complete this process. The notary will ask us for the cohabitation certificate and our identification documents, and will also require us to bring two witnesses on the day of the notarization.
Once the partnership is established, a document known as the notarial deed will be signed, and the notary will send the signed documents to the Civil Registry for Domestic Partnerships. A few days or weeks later, you will receive a certificate confirming that the partnership has been registered with the Civil Registry for Domestic Partnerships. If you’d like to register your domestic partnership through one of these methods, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Anna Nicolàs Torán
Attorney Specializing in Family Law
MC Abogados
