Quick answer
To marry in Spain, the couple opens an expediente matrimonial at the Registro Civil, and the foreign partner has to prove civil status. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- You, under oath before a Florida notary.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 1978
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of Spain in Miami
- Translation
- Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a different notary and apostilled in Florida.
How a Florida single status affidavit is used in Spain
To marry in Spain, the couple opens an expediente matrimonial at the Registro Civil, and the foreign partner has to prove civil status. Florida doesn't issue a government certificate of single status, so Americans usually provide a sworn affidavit of single status, notarized and apostilled in Florida, then translated by a traductor jurado. Some registries also ask for a certificate of legal capacity to marry, which the U.S. doesn't issue; ask how they handle U.S. citizens. Divorced? Add the certified divorce judgment, since the affidavit alone won't prove it.
Getting a single status affidavit Florida will apostille
A sworn affidavit with a complete Florida jurat stating that you are not married and are free to marry and, if you were married before, the date, place and court or record that ended that marriage. Names must match your passport, and it must be signed within the window the foreign registry allows.
Use the registry's template if it has one, then swear to it before a Florida notary or through our online notarization add-on: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional document. First confirm that the country accepts a notarized affidavit rather than a consular or government-issued status certificate. Notarization is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the single status affidavit apostille page.
Who receives it in Spain — and translation
The main receivers are the Registro Civil (in Spain, or the Registro Civil Central) for marriages, births and deaths; Spanish notarios for property, powers and inheritances; the Ministry of Justice for nationality files; universities and the education ministry for degree recognition; and Spanish consulates in the U.S. for visas and civil registrations. The Consulate General of Spain in Miami serves Florida.
Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a different notary and apostilled in Florida. Spain may instead require a traducción jurada by a sworn translator appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which publishes a searchable list. For nationality files, the Ministry of Justice also accepts translations done or checked at Spanish consulates abroad. Translate after the apostille and include the apostille page.
Spain has no single expiry for apostilled documents; each registry, notario and consulate sets its own, and many treat civil-status certificates and criminal records issued several months earlier as stale. Order fresh certified copies close to your filing date and ask the receiving office how recent they must be.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Spain in Miami.
Four steps, one week
Order online
Pick the document and destination country on the order form and pay by card. After we review your documents, FedEx emails you a prepaid label.
Send it — or sign online
Drop the envelope at any FedEx location. Not signed yet? Add online notarization and there is nothing to ship.
We file in person
We review it, then walk it to the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee for the apostille.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why single status affidavits get rejected
- Signed too long before the wedding date
- Earlier marriage left out, or listed without how it ended
- Acknowledgment instead of a jurat
- Country required a consular or government-issued status document
What it costs for Spain
$220 per document, $380 for two and $160 each for three or more — the state fee, request form, in-person filing in Tallahassee and FedEx shipping inside the U.S. are included. Shipping the finished apostille to Spain is a flat $100 per order.
Not included: whatever the issuing office charges for the certified copy or certificate, and notarization (online notarization is $40 for the first document — $10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee — and $20 for each additional one).