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What it is

A single, electronic Civil Registry run by civil servants

BOE step 7 of 7 · Passed

It is a government bill. Introduced by the Government. It was introduced on 26 July 2010. Introduced by: Gobierno.

Official title: Government bill on the Civil Registry.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 121/000090· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. It creates a single Civil Registry for all of Spain, electronic, with one unified database. Each person will have an individual registry with a personal code, instead of books divided into sections.
  2. It removes the Civil Registry from the courts: it will be managed by Registrars as public servants, under the General Directorate of Registries and Notaries, although all acts remain subject to judicial review.
  3. It is organized into a Central Office, General Offices (at least one per Autonomous Community and one more per 500,000 inhabitants) and Consular Offices. Registration can be requested at any of them.
  4. Hospitals and health centers electronically report births and deaths to the Registry. Death registration is mandatory and closes the individual registry, and its personal code can never be assigned again.
  5. Parents decide the order of their children's surnames, eliminating the historical preference for the paternal surname. Name and surname changes are streamlined and, as a general rule, decided by the Registrar.
  6. The law takes effect three years after its publication in the official gazette, except for some provisions that take effect the day after publication. No more Family Books will be issued, although those already issued keep their effects temporarily.

Who it affects

  • Anyone born, married, changing their name or dying in Spain, because their data will be kept in an electronic individual registry.: Online procedures and service at any Office, without having to appear in person.
  • Parents: They can agree on the order of their children's surnames and register births through the hospital's report.
  • Hospitals and health centers: They must electronically report births and deaths occurring at the facility.
  • City councils (Ayuntamientos): They process the marriage file and perform civil marriages, sending the documentation to the Civil Registry.
  • Spaniards living abroad: Their life events are registered at the Consular Offices of the Civil Registry.

Words worth knowing

Registro Civil (Civil Registry)
Public registry where the major events of a person's life are officially recorded: birth, filiation, marriage, death, and so on.
Asiento registral (registry entry)
Each formal entry made in the registry: the inscription, the annotation or the cancellation.
Exequátur
Authorization given by a Spanish court for a foreign court ruling to be valid in Spain.
Publicidad restringida (restricted publicity)
A regime under which certain data, such as adoptive filiation or secret marriage, can only be accessed with the authorization of the person concerned.
Vacatio legis
The period between the publication of a law and its entry into force, set here at three years.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. 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 7 of 7 steps. It reached BOE, and today it is passed.

  1. Introduced26 July 2010Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted3 September 2010The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendments8 September 2010Groups propose changes.
  4. Committee30 March 2011A committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenaryno dateAll 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senate4 May 2011The Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOE14 July 2011It is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 9 official steps on a timeline
Sept 2010Dec 2010Mar 2011Jun 201111. 26 July 2010: Presentación22. 3 September 2010: Comisión de Justicia Publicación desde 03/09/2010 hasta 08/09/201033. 3 September 2010: Calificación44. 8 September 2010: Comisión de Justicia Enmiendas desde 08/09/2010 hasta 30/03/201155. 30 March 2011: Comisión de Justicia Informe desde 30/03/2011 hasta 26/04/201166. 26 April 2011: Comisión de Justicia Aprobación con competencia legislativa plena desde 26/04/2011 hasta 04/05/201177. 4 May 2011: Senado desde 04/05/2011 hasta 22/06/201188. 22 June 2011: Pleno Enmiendas o veto del Senado desde 22/06/2011 hasta 14/07/201199. 14 July 2011: Concluido - (Aprobado con modificaciones) desde 14/07/2011 hasta 13/09/2011

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?

It is law, or will be once published in the BOE. It comes into force on the date its own text sets.

Published in the BOE: Law 20/2011, of 21 July, on the Civil Registry.

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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