De Facto Relationship and Marriage

Nowadays, there are more and more registrations of de facto couples (also known as de facto union or de facto relationship) in Spain. Most of them, between a Spanish Citizen and a Foreigner.

A de facto relationship is basically a couple that lives together without having been married. Certain legal effects are recognized as long as the legally established requirements are met but there is often some confusion when comparing a de facto partnership with a marriage.

Let us remember that a marriage is the union between two people of the same or different sex contracted with the requirements established in civil law, and that there are differences with the legal status of the de facto couple, especially when our Supreme Court and the Spanish Constitutional Court stipulates that the de facto couple and the juridic concept of marriage are not comparable unions.