Hi, wondering if anyone can share their experiences on name changes after marriage?  I’m a British woman marrying a Spaniard but obviously Spanish women don’t change their names after marriage.  However, being a Brit, I want my kids to have the same name as me and would like to have my husband’s name.  Has anyone made their name double barrelled mixing their name and their husband’s?  He’s worried I’ll sound like his sister if I take his exact surname :O) Are there legal implications on this one?  Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks

Dear Madam,

According to the Spanish Law, if you are an spanish citizen you should change your surname in the Civil Registry. Also, you should explain in the Registry the main reason ( according to the british custom, you prefer the surname of your husband).

If you are not spanish, the change would be done in the British Registry. You will receive a new passport and you will be able to sign the documents with your spanish surname.

I do not recomend you to use the new surname before the legal change in order to avoid problems with your actual identity card (passport or residence card)

If you have any question, do not hesitate to contact us.

Javier Mar?n

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Hello,

I am an American man who is engaged to a Spanish woman and will be moving to Spain were she lives. I would like to know if it is possible to have my last name taken by her. I was told that this is not the normal custom, but being an American, I would like her to take my last name. I was told by my mother who is from Puerto Rico, that the way it is don there would be adding De+ my last name to her maiden name. As her last name is Cruz and mine is Gonzalez I was told it would be Cristina Cruz could be changed to Christina Cruz De Gonzalez. Just wondering if this is the case in Spain or not.

Thanks for anyone that could give me any answer.

Regards,
Daniel

I don’t believe they add the “de” actually. I think it’s just added to the end, a la Carme Chac?n Piqueras or Jos? Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

What does your wife want to do about her last name?

clare,
surnames of spanish citizens are officially determined by their parents not by their spouses.
your kids have two last names, primary (usually the father’s) and secundary (the mother’s).
the spanish prime minister always mentions both (rodriguez zapatero) more often he is refered to by his secundary surname, since “rodriguez” is common.
you can have your kids be called out by both their spanish surname + english surname.  and this going to be done automatically by spaniards.
regarding your last name, you can have that changed by changing your british passport details at the british consulate, and then have your certificate and nie altered when you have your new passport.

dynoflow,
your spanish wife cannot legally change her last names to add your surname, all her official documents: spanish passport & dni will always be in her birth names.
like you said, being an american, you want her to follow american custom, but you are going to live in spain.  and laws on spanish documents are not going to be adjusted to suit immigrants’ customs. you can her have introduce herself adding DE + your last name but this is going to look/sound awkward socially.

My OH refuses to change her name or have my surname added (she is Spanish, I’m all Brit) our daughter has my surname and I/we agreed to place one of the Spanish names as her middle name.

That was in the UK, we never changed anything when we moved to Spain.

You can call yourself “Peeing in the Wind” as long as it is registered at birth, death and marriage nobody else really cares.