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What it is

Bill to change how the Civil Registry works

Admitted step 2 of 7 · Unfinished

It is a members’ bill. Introduced by parliamentary groups, the Senate, regional governments or citizens. It was introduced on 5 December 2019. Introduced by: Grupo Parlamentario Popular en el Congreso.

Official title: Private member's bill regarding the amendment of Law 20/2011, of 21 July, on the Civil Registry.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 122/000002· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. The bill would amend Law 20/2011 on the Civil Registry before it fully comes into force, to adapt it to the final model: an individual, electronic registry with a personal code for each person, replacing the current sections for births, marriages and deaths.
  2. It proposes that the Civil Registry stop being run by the judiciary and instead be managed by public officials, specifically the Letrados de la Administración de Justicia (court clerks), with all registry acts still subject to judicial review.
  3. It proposes a single Civil Registry for all of Spain, computerized and accessible electronically, organized into a Central Civil Registry Office, Civil Registry Offices and Consular Civil Registry Offices.
  4. The offices would keep their locations in the towns of the current Municipal and Peace Civil Registries, and their positions could only be filled by staff of the Administration of Justice. Justices of the peace would continue performing Civil Registry duties by delegation.
  5. Once the law comes into force, no new Libros de Familia (family record books) would be issued, although those already issued would keep their legal effects.
  6. The amendments would come into force on the same day Law 20/2011 fully enters into force. Note: this is a bill introduced in the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados), not an approved law.

Who it affects

  • The general public: Would be able to access the Civil Registry electronically, with an individual registry and a personal code.
  • Letrados de la Administración de Justicia (court clerks): Would become the heads of the Civil Registry offices.
  • Judges heading exclusive Civil Registries and the Central Civil Registry: Would stop being registry heads, and their assignments would be governed by the organic law A law on fundamental rights, the electoral system or other matters the Constitution reserves. It needs an absolute majority in the Congreso: 176 votes. on the Judiciary.
  • Civil service staff of the Administration of Justice: Would keep performing Civil Registry duties while retaining their full pay.
  • Justices of the peace: Would continue performing Civil Registry duties by delegation.

Words worth knowing

Registro Civil (Civil Registry)
Public body that records key events in people's lives: birth, marriage, death and parentage.
Encargado del Registro Civil
Person in charge of a registry office: handles case files, makes entries and issues certificates.
Letrado de la Administración de Justicia
Career civil servant with a law degree who works in the courts and certifies judicial acts.
Libro de Familia (family record book)
Official booklet formerly given to families to record the marriage and children.
Firma electrónica cualificada (qualified electronic signature)
Digital signature with the highest legal guarantees, equivalent to a handwritten signature.
organic law
A law on fundamental rights, the electoral system or other matters the Constitution reserves. It needs an absolute majority in the Congreso: 176 votes.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 2 of 7 steps. It reached Admitted, and today it is unfinished.

  1. Introduced5 December 2019Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted13 December 2019The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendmentsnot reachedGroups propose changes.
  4. Committeenot reachedA committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenarynot reachedAll 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senatenot reachedThe Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOEnot reachedIt is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 6 official steps on a timeline
Dec 2019Dec 2020Dec 2021Dec 202211. 5 December 2019: Presentación22. 13 December 2019: Boletín Oficial de las Cortes Generales Publicación desde 13/12/2019 hasta 20/12/201933. 13 December 2019: Calificación44. 20 December 2019: Gobierno Contestación desde 20/12/2019 hasta 29/02/202055. 29 February 2020: Pleno Toma en consideración desde 29/02/2020 hasta 30/05/202366. 30 May 2023: Concluido - (Caducado) desde 30/05/2023 hasta 16/06/2023

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

What happens next

What happens now?

The legislature ended before it finished. To go on, someone would have to introduce it again in the new Cortes.

It has not been presented again yet.

Presented before in:

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
  • Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
  • We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

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