Marrying in another country

[johncar54]

(Sorry to go off thread but just following up on Gwapito's comment).

In Spain if Brian 'Smith Brown' and Mary 'Davies Green' get married, as I said they keep their names. Their children get the surnames ‘Smith Davies’ i.e. their `parent’s first surnames.

Another sensible thing in Spain; all births, marriages, divorces etc are registered in a document call the ‘Family Book’ (soon to be accessible by them on line). Thus one can prove they are still married. In UK one can prove they got married, or they got divorced, but not that they are still married. Each time my wife renews her Residencia she must prove she is still married. The only way we can do that is for me to swear on oath before the British Consul that we are still married, He/she then issues a certificate (at significant expense) to say 'I have said we are still married'. In reality that means nothing.

[Michael Parnham]

(Sorry to go off thread but just following up on Gwapito's comment).

In Spain they think it very odd that a married couple and their children have the same surname, and also odd that they only have one surname.

In Spain if Brian 'Smith Brown' and Mary 'Davies Green' get married, as I said they keep their names. Their children get the surnames ‘Smith Davies’ i.e. their `parent’s first surnames.

Another sensible thing in Spain; all births, marriages, divorces etc are registered in a document call the ‘Family Book’ (soon to be accessible by them on line). Thus one can prove they are still married. In UK one can prove they got married, or they got divorced, but not that they are still married. Each time my wife renews her Residencia she must prove she is still married. The only way we can do that is for me to swear on oath before the British Consul that we are still married, He/she then issues a certificate (at significant expense) to say 'I have said we are still married'. In reality that means nothing.

Interesting reading once again John!