The legal and documentary side of civil marriages between Italy, Spain and England

Yes, I Do - Legal was born from a first-hand experience.

When I decided to get married, I too was living in the United Kingdom and found myself facing the complexity of coordinating two legal systems and two different procedures. I chose to hold my marriage directly in Italy, taking care of the necessary documentation and legalisation myself. Today I want to put that experience, together with my professional expertise, at the service of Italians resident in the United Kingdom who wish to do the same.

From here, combining legal training with day-to-day documentary review practice, Yes, I Do - Legal was born: the practice we ourselves would have needed.

We handle the legal and administrative side of the civil marriage: establishing which law applies to your situation, which authority has jurisdiction and which documents are needed, in the exact form required.

The work begins with an analysis of the case — citizenship, residence, previous marital status, country of the ceremony — and continues with a written documentary plan: what is needed, who issues it, within what timescale and with what formalities (apostille, legalisation, sworn translation).

We do not simply provide a checklist. We check every document before it is filed, against the requirements of the competent office, and we liaise with comuni, ayuntamientos, Register Offices and consulates. A document rejected days before the ceremony is a risk that is prevented during the review stage, not remedied afterwards.

No standard checklist. Every combination of citizenship and residence produces different requirements: the documentary plan is built around your case and updated if anything changes.

Clarity and confidentiality. We explain in plain language what is happening and why, with regular updates on the status of your matter. Your data is processed solely for your matter, in accordance with the GDPR.

Transparency about our limits. We do not organise weddings and we do not replace the advice of a lawyer qualified in the relevant country: we provide documentary assistance and administrative coordination. Where a local professional is needed, we tell you.

Based in London, operating across three legal systems. In Italy we handle banns, nulla osta and certificates of capacity to marry, through to registration of the marriage certificate. In Spain we handle the expediente matrimonial before the Registro Civil, the ayuntamiento or the notary. In England we assist with giving notice at the Register Office and the certificate of no impediment.

We work in Italian, English and Spanish, with a single line of communication even when the matter runs in parallel across two countries.

We also assist British citizens marrying in Italy or Spain, and Italians registered with AIRE, from checking local requirements to preparing the necessary documentation, including translations and apostilles, through to the formalities following the marriage to make the certificate usable in England or Italy.