Civil Marriage.—A civil marriage must be preceded by a declaration to the Municipal Judge, stating the names, ages, professions and domiciles of the contracting parties; also the names, professions and domiciles of the parents; and proper certificates of the births and status of the contracting parties; certificates of consent or advice of parents, and dispensations when required.
Marriages may be celebrated personally or by a substitute or proxy to whom a special authorization has been granted.
Civil marriages must be solemnized by the contracting parties appearing before the Municipal Judge, or one of them, and the person whom the absent party may have appointed as proxy must appear before such magistrate, together with two competent witnesses.
The Municipal Judge, after reading articles 56 and 57 of the Civil Code to the parties (which point out the rights and obligations of married life), must ask each party if they desire to be married to each other, and if both answer in the affirmative, the judge shall declare the parties to be husband and wife, and prepare a record of the marriage.
Consuls and vice-consuls are empowered to exercise the function of municipal judges in marriages of Spaniards, celebrated in foreign countries.
Nullity of Marriage.—The following marriages are null and void:
1. Those concluded between persons related within the prohibited degrees.
2. Those concluded between persons under the age of puberty.
3. Marriages between persons, one or both of whom were of incurably unsound mind.
4. Incurably impotent persons.