Amores en el registro. Mecanismos institucionales de gestión del ‘amor verdadero’ en los matrimonios binacionales

Mobility and immigration sustained growth in the last decades have contributed to an increase in bi-national marriages. The possibility for the foreign spouse to obtain benefits in terms of nationality and residence has led to the creation of regulatory bodies, of both national and supranational order, that are designed to control such unions. Both in the preparation of these rules and in their implementation, ideas related to the expected characteristics of ‘true love’ are transmitted. The analysis of the legislation and the resolutions authorizing or denying these marriages are privileged sources of inside information to further investigate on migration policies other than to rethink the foundations and transformations of existing normative values of love. In the Spanish case, the romantic ideology and pure relationship, along with the traditional family and companionate marriage appear as the main references.