Pareja de hecho in 2026: registering a civil partnership region by region
You have lived together for a long time but are not planning a wedding yet, and still you want your rights secured: from residency for your partner to hospital visits and inheritance. Spain has the pareja de hecho for exactly that. There is one snag: no single national law exists, and every autonomous community has its own rules. We explain how a partnership works, how Madrid, Valencia and Catalonia differ and what foreigners need to prepare.
- A pareja de hecho is an officially registered partnership; the rules are set by each autonomous community, and there is no single national law.
- Madrid requires 12 months of living together, Valencia registers couples with no minimum period, and Catalonia recognises the union through a notarial deed or 2 years of shared life.
- Foreigners need proof of marital status with an apostille and a sworn translation; in many regions empadronamiento is enough, rather than legal status.
- Registering with an EU citizen partner opens the way to the family member of a Union citizen card (RD 240/2007).
- A partnership is not a marriage: a joint tax return and some inheritance rights remain reserved for spouses.
What a pareja de hecho is and what it gives you
A pareja de hecho (union de hecho) is an officially registered union of two people living together as a couple without marrying. Once entered in the register of the autonomous community, the union carries legal consequences. What that gives you in practice:
- an immigration ground: the partner of a Spanish or other EU citizen can apply for the family member of a Union citizen card;
- social rights: subject to conditions, a survivor pension, next-of-kin status in hospitals, family leave;
- everyday matters: renting together, insurance, proving a family tie to the authorities;
- property arrangements: the couple can settle their property regime by agreement.
It is just as important to understand the limits: only spouses can file a joint tax return (tributacion conjunta), and the inheritance rights of partners depend heavily on the region. For full equality of rights there is marriage, which we cover in a separate article.
Why everything depends on the region
Spain has no single national law on partnerships. Each autonomous community has passed its own rules and keeps its own registro de uniones de hecho. That has three practical consequences:
- Requirements differ: in some places you need a year of living together, in others you can register straight away.
- Filing is tied to where you live: you register with the community (and sometimes the municipality) where the couple is registered on the padrón.
- Rights differ: the scope of inheritance and social rights depends on the regional law.
So the first step is to identify your region and open the requirements on its official portal. Below are the three most common examples.
Requirements in practice: Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia
| Region | Key condition | Where you register |
|---|---|---|
| Comunidad de Madrid | At least 12 months of continuous cohabitation, proved by the padrón; witnesses at filing | Registro de Uniones de Hecho (appointment via sede.comunidad.madrid) |
| Comunitat Valenciana | No minimum period of cohabitation: entry in the register itself formalises the union; you need a padrón in the region | Registro de Uniones de Hecho Formalizadas (procedure on gva.es) |
| Cataluna | The union arises after 2 years of shared life, on having a child together, or immediately through a notarial escritura | Notary plus the regional register of stable couples |
Conditions common to most regions: both partners of age, neither in a subsisting marriage or another registered partnership, no close kinship, and the union entered into freely. Appointment slots at the popular registers go quickly, so plan ahead.
If your region is not in the table, the logic is the same: look for the official register of your autonomous community and its list of documents. Requirements are updated regularly, so rely only on official portals.
Documents for foreigners
The basics are similar everywhere; the details differ. An indicative list for a couple where one or both partners are foreigners:
- passports (and NIE/TIE, if you have one);
- proof of marital status, confirming that you are not married (for Ukraine, a certificate of marital status; if you were married before, a divorce certificate);
- birth certificates;
- padrón, proof that you are registered at the same address (for Madrid, covering 12 months);
- the official application form and, in a number of regions, witnesses.
All foreign documents are filed with an apostille from the issuing country and a sworn translation into Spanish. Certificates of marital status have a short validity period, usually 3 to 6 months, so the chain of certificate, apostille and translation is started closer to the filing date. We have covered how to obtain documents from Ukraine remotely in a separate article.
Pareja de hecho and residency
The main immigration effect of a partnership: if your partner is a citizen of Spain or another EU country, a registered pareja de hecho gives you grounds to apply for the family member of a Union citizen card (tarjeta de familiar de comunitario) under the Real Decreto 240/2007 regime. That card grants the right to live and work in Spain, usually for 5 years.
What you should know:
- Extranjería takes the decision: it checks that the relationship is genuine, that you live together and the financial side;
- formal registration is essential, since simply living together without the register is not a valid ground;
- if both partners are third-country nationals, the partnership does not grant residency by itself, but it is taken into account in other procedures (for example in reunification and in assessing ties for arraigo).
Timelines and practice differ between provinces, so the strategy of what to register, where and in which order is best built before filing rather than after the first refusal.
How Krepko does it for you
We take the process on: we check the requirements of your region, prepare the documents from your country of origin with an apostille and a sworn translation, book you into the register or with a notary, and close out the related steps too, from the padrón and NIE to an interpreter at the signing. Legally significant acts are performed by licensed specialists: lawyers, gestores and sworn translators.
See the notarial side on the Notary service page. Ready to start? Leave a request and we will tell you which conditions apply in your own autonomous community.
Frequently asked questions
A partnership is governed by the laws of the autonomous communities, while marriage is governed by national law. The key differences: a joint tax return is available only to spouses, the inheritance rights of partners depend on the region, and dissolving a partnership is simpler. For immigration purposes a registered partnership is largely treated on a par with marriage.
In many regions, yes: the registers usually require empadronamiento (registration at your place of residence) rather than legal immigration status. The rules differ, though, so check the requirements of the specific register before filing. A passport and proof of marital status will be needed in any case.
It depends on the region. Madrid requires at least 12 months of continuous cohabitation proved by the padrón. The Valencian Community has no 12-month rule: entry in the register itself creates the union. In Catalonia the union arises after 2 years of shared life, on having a child together, or through a notarial deed.
No. Registration does not grant a status by itself, but it creates a ground: if your partner is a citizen of Spain or another EU country, you can apply for the family member of a Union citizen card (tarjeta de familiar). Extranjería takes the decision after checking the documents and that the relationship is genuine.
The registers are kept at the level of the autonomous communities, and after a move you sometimes have to register again at your new place of residence. For immigration procedures what usually matters is the fact of official registration of the partnership, but it is worth checking the rules of the specific authority in advance.
Usually a birth certificate, proof of marital status (confirming that you are not married) and, if you were married before, a divorce certificate. Everything with an apostille affixed in Ukraine and a sworn translation into Spanish. Some regions ask for documents no older than 3 to 6 months.
Sources
Planning to register a pareja de hecho?
Leave a request and we will review it free of charge. We will check the requirements of your autonomous community, gather the documents with an apostille and a translation and book your appointment - we do it for you.
Discuss your caseThis material is for information purposes and is not legal advice. The requirements of the autonomous communities change regularly, so check against the official portals. Krepko organises the process and takes on the routine, while legally significant acts are performed by licensed specialists: lawyers, gestores and sworn translators.
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