The country in brief
Spain, 48 million inhabitants, is a parliamentary monarchy and EU member state with a Civil Code of 1889 much reformed, and regional civil laws in Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre, the Basque Country, Galicia and the Balearics that change the matrimonial regime and the rules of inheritance. Equal marriage since 2005, no-fault divorce since the same year, abortion on request to 14 weeks since 2010, a comprehensive law against gender violence since 2004, the 'only yes means yes' consent law since 2022: it is one of the most liberal legal frameworks in Europe, with a universal public health service covering contraception, abortion and assisted reproduction.
The pages below set out, topic by topic, what Spanish law provides, how things are done and where to go — and what matters for a British resident or couple: the EU succession regulation and the choice of English law, regional inheritance tax, recognition of divorces since Brexit, the Hague Conventions on children, and a drink-driving limit well below the British one.
The country's law, area by area
Marriage, partnership and divorce
Marriage · Partnerships and cohabitation · Same-sex marriage · Matrimonial property and inheritance · Divorce
Children, family and inheritance
Adoption · Assisted reproduction · Childcare · Inheritance
Contraception, abortion, sexuality and drugs
Contraception · Abortion · Drugs and controlled substances
Violence, consent and sexual offences
Consent and age of consent · Domestic violence
Online: privacy, image, data and scams
Data protection · Romance scams
Sources
- Ley 13/2005, de 1 de julio, por la que se modifica el Código Civil en materia de derecho a contraer matrimonio — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), Espagne, 2005 (in Spanish)
- Ley 15/2005, de 8 de julio, por la que se modifican el Código Civil y la Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil en materia de separación y divorcio — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), Espagne, 2005 (in Spanish)
- Ley Orgánica 2/2010, de 3 de marzo, de salud sexual y reproductiva y de la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), Espagne, 2010 (in Spanish)
- Ley Orgánica 1/2004, de 28 de diciembre, de Medidas de Protección Integral contra la Violencia de Género — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), Espagne, 2004 (in Spanish)
- Ley Orgánica 10/2022, de 6 de septiembre, de garantía integral de la libertad sexual — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), Espagne, 2022 (in Spanish)
- Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and acceptance and enforcement of authentic instruments in matters of succession — Union européenne, EUR-Lex (Journal officiel de l'Union européenne), 2012
Official or institutional documents this page relies on, consulted on 12 October 2026. Links open in a new tab.
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