Civil Partnership in Valencia: Requirements, Benefits & Registration

Everything you need to know about registering a civil partnership (pareja de hecho) in the Valencian Community — requirements, legal benefits, and how we handle it at our office.

A civil partnership — known in Spain as pareja de hecho or unión de hecho — is a legally recognised relationship between two people who live together in a relationship analogous to marriage. In the Valencian Community, this is regulated by Ley 5/2012, de 15 de octubre, and the registration is constitutive, meaning the legal effects begin from the moment of inscription in the official registry.

What Is a Pareja de Hecho?

A pareja de hecho is a formal cohabitation agreement between two people, regardless of sex, who share a life together in a stable, affective relationship similar to marriage. Unlike marriage, it does not require a ceremony — but it does require formal registration to produce legal effects.

In the Valencian Community, couples register through the Registro de Uniones de Hecho Formalizadas de la Comunitat Valenciana, managed by the Conselleria de Justicia.

Requirements in the Valencian Community

To register a civil partnership in the Comunidad Valenciana, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Both partners must be of legal age (18 years or older) or emancipated minors
  • Neither partner may be married or already registered in another civil partnership
  • Neither partner may be related by direct kinship (parents/children) or collateral kinship up to the second degree (siblings)
  • At least one partner must be registered (empadronado/a) in a municipality of the Comunitat Valenciana
  • Both partners must appear in person at the registry office

Required Documents

The documentation typically includes:

  • Valid identification (DNI, NIE or passport) of both partners
  • Certificado de empadronamiento (proof of address registration in the Comunitat Valenciana)
  • Certificado de estado civil (civil status certificate) proving neither partner is married
  • Declaración jurada (sworn statement) that neither partner is registered in another civil partnership
  • For foreign nationals: documents must be duly apostilled and translated by a sworn translator

Legal Benefits of Registering

Registering as pareja de hecho provides significant legal advantages: