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Gay Marriage in
Spain
Why wait gay Americans? Get married
in Spain right now.
by Dave Gaskell
Whilst the great debate continues in the U.S. and
Spain the Spanish people have voted to allow gay marriage. This
may be an alternative for gay Americans who are tired of waiting for the
American people to decides for themselves if marriage should be
available to all.
Civil marriages can now be arranged in Spain for
people over 18. While Spanish law appears to permit foreigners to marry
in Spain, in practice it will often be necessary for one or both parties
to be legally registered. However, the by-laws and regulations with
reference to procedures and documentation required differ from town to
town and are being changed regularly. Some towns will only allow civil
weddings on certain days of the week in their Registry Office, whereas
others are more flexible and will allow the ceremony 7 days a week in
private premises such as Hotels, Restaurants and Villas.
Religious gay marriages in churches are not allowed,
but a religious blessing is available in the Costa Blanca from more
progressive Ministers or Lay Preachers (not Priests) Other areas of
Spain vary on their approach on the matter. This is still an exception
and is not yet widespread. Many gay Spaniards seem to be opting for a
humanist non-religious blessing following the official marriage
ceremony.
An application for marriage in Spain can involve
lengthy and time consuming paperwork, you should therefore allow enough
time before the intended date of marriage for the application to be
processed. It can take many months in reality and as a general rule six
months is required to complete the application.
For more information on getting married in Spain see
the gay guide to Benidorm at
www.realbenidorm.net/gaybenidorm |
