Does anyone know how long the the marriage process takes in spain and what documents might be needed? Also does anyone know how long it takes to get a work permit after you get married? After reading these boards it seems like a few people have taken that path and a few others, like madridman, are on their way.

Assuming you are a U.S. citizen and are marrying a Spaniard, you should first obtain a pamphlet published by the U.S. Embassy in Spain. It clearly spells out all of the necessary steps you'll need to take in order to process the paperwork. Spain publishes a similar form if you wish to compare them (we had both just to be sure).
My memory may not be the best as I was applying for 4 different things at the time; I may be confusing some of them.
The most time consuming step was to obtain a copy of your birth certificate with an official seal (can't remember the name of the seal). If I'm not mistaken, you also need a letter from your bank stating how many years you have been with them. I can't think of much else (unless you've been divorced?) that you would need that you probably don't already have. Please get the brochure as it spells everything out. The Spaniard needs some documents (like the "enpadronamiento" and those were actually what held us up a day or two.
Once you have all of your paperwork in line, you need to take it to the "registro civil". They will sit down with you, go over the paperwork to see that everything is in order, and give you a date to return. If you plan to get married outside of the boundaries of your registro civil, you need to take the final paperwork to the registro civil where you plan to get married. Are you planning a civil wedding or a church wedding?
We were engaged in April, filed late June, and were married at the end of August. I would allow yourself a good two months after you file the initial paperwork, especially if you have people planning a trip from the U.S. A friend of mine "got" married in Morocco and the paperwork hadn't gone through in time and everyone had a really expensive bachelor party!
To answer your work permit question, there's a thread with lots of info:

http://www.madridman.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000148

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

Hi Nevado and Roe --

The seal is called the Apostille Seal or Apostulate Seal. I am not sure where in Spain you would go to get such documents sealed. I know in Pennsylvania you can mail the document(s) that you want to have the seal placed upon along with payment (no cash) and postage paid return envelope to the office in Harrisburg (state capital) and they will seal the docs and send them back to you. They say it´s a 15 day turn around for domestic mail. I would allow at least a month. Sorry I can´t address the questions regarding other docs needed to be married in Spain as we were married in the states.

I do highly recommend a visit to the US Embassy in Madrid (or consulate in Barcelona) to get the matters clarified.

Good luck!
chica

Hey Chica, that's the seal! I think you have to send the birth certificate to the state in which you were born. After I sent mine they said I was in luck because they still had the signature stamp of the gov. who was in office when I was born. I don't know what happens if they no longer have the signature stamp; it seems a bit funny to me not to have them around? It's not everyday someone requests the seal and certainly not soon after birth (for marriage that is)!

Does anyone know if they have this pamphlet on the web, or if they will mail it? I am far away from madrid or barcalona. Is there any equivilant of Las Vegas around Europe where you can just get married on the spot? What about getting married to foreigners in the US? Is it easier? I couldn´t really tell from what they said in the link above. We just want to get the paperwork so that I can get a work permit to work in Spain.

Does anyone know anything about becoming a "pareja de hecho"? Someone recomended looking into this as a way to get a residency/work visa. I am a US citezen and my girlfriend is a spanish citizen.

I found out that to do a "pareja de hecho", all an american needs is their passporte (this is what the woman at the local ayuntamiento told me). Does anyone out there know if I do this they will give me residency and/or a work visa? Supposedly you are supposed to have the same rights as a married couple.

The "pareja de hecho" register is the responsibility of the local town hall. The Spanish parliament is still bogged down debating a legal formula to provide for such unions, so there is as yet no national register, and each ayuntamiento does as it seems fit. Registering as a pareja will give you some of the trappings of marriage and rights. But work permits and residency are still controlled by central government, and registering at your local town hall won't help there I'm afraid. Perhaps things will change in a year or two....

Nevado?? I emailed the U.S. Embassy of Spain, and tried to get information(pamplet)on what I, a US citizen and still living in the US, need to do before marrying a Spaniard in Spain, and I was emailed back that I need to contact the Embassy of Spain in the US, and so I did. The woman there told me that she didn't know if they have any info on marrying a Spaniard in Spain, but knows that to get a visa, I have to marry him first, then come back here to apply for the visa, and if I want any information on marrying a Spaniard, then I need to contact the U.S. Embassy in Spain. SO, as you can see, I am right back where I've started from . So if you have anymore info on what I am trying to find, can you please let me know Thank you so much
Oh, I know it would be easier for my Spaniard to get married here, in the US,(I was told), but I really want to be married in Spain.
Thanks

LittleWind,
If I were you I would get marry in a catholic church. Ask your Spanish boyfriend to go to El Obispado de Madrid and ask them to explain him all the process. The church will take care of the civil papers too. After the wedding they will give you a paper and ask you to go to "el registro civil" to get your "libro de familia"
My sister in law was living in spain without a visa for one year. it seems ther is a law that says that if you are married to an Spaniard you have the right to live and work in Spain, with or without visa. We went to CCOO (Comisiones Obreras) in Paseo del Prado and they gave her a document saying she had the right to live and work in spain. We Went to INEM with it and they accepted it. Once you are there go to immigration to get your visa (long process).
I went through all of this as a Spaniard and my sister in law as an American. You can contact her an ask her about her experience. Her name is Tracy Moral and you can contact her through http://www.expatriatecafe.com She is great and very helpful.
Nuria