Spain widow's pension: no register for unmarried parents

In Spain, unmarried couples with children together can qualify for a widow's pension without registering as partners: they must prove they lived together continuously for at least two years immediately before one partner died. They need a certificate of residence registration to show this. The change is in a government decree approved on Tuesday and published in Spain's Official State Gazette on Wednesday, 21 October 2026.

The government says the change brings the law closer to how people live. It also aims to stop families losing protection over registration requirements and to reduce legal disputes.

For couples who have registered as partners, the rules remain different. They must prove at least five years of continuous cohabitation with a certificate of residence registration. Their partnership must also have been registered, or recorded in a public document, at least two years before the death.

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com