Apostille and Sworn Translation in Spain: What You Need

Yes, a foreign public document usually needs an apostille (or legalisation if your country is outside the Hague Convention) to count in Spain. A public document not in Spanish usually needs a translation by a Spanish sworn translator, and visa files require it. Get the apostille in the country that issued the document. Covered EU documents skip it.

Yes: if a document comes from abroad, expect to get an apostille where it was issued and a sworn translation by a translator authorised in Spain if it is not in Spanish.

Which documents need an apostille?

Almost any foreign public document, such as a birth certificate or a police record. In general these must be legalised to count in Spain, and if your country is in the Hague Convention, an apostille does that job. Bring originals: photocopies and laminated documents are not legalised. Documents issued by a country’s own embassies or consulates are legalised rather than apostilled.

How do you get the apostille?

Ask the competent authority in the country that issued the document. If your country is outside the Convention, its foreign ministry legalises the document first and the Spanish diplomatic mission second.

From the UK, the Legalisation Office adds the apostille after checking the signature or seal. A standard paper apostille costs £45 plus postage and usually takes up to 25 working days. An ACRO police certificate needs the paper version, not an e-Apostille. The US and UK visa documents guide covers the full chain.

From the US, a document signed by a federal official needs an apostille from the Department of State.

Do EU documents skip it?

Often yes. A document issued by an EU authority and used in another member state is exempt from legalisation and the apostille when it is the kind the EU Regulation covers. The Regulation sets which documents count.

The public documents to which this Regulation applies and their certified copies shall be exempt from any form of legalisation and similar formality.

DOUE · Reglamento (UE) 2016/1191, art. 4

Documents from outside the EU are not covered. A criminal record certificate is covered only if you are an EU citizen and your own country issued it. The padrón guide applies the same exception. For a visa file, see where the apostille and translation fit in the criminal record certificate guide.

What do you need for the translation?

For visa and consular files, a sworn translator authorised by the Foreign Ministry must translate any public document not in Spanish. Pick one from the Ministry’s public list, which shows the languages each is authorised for, and ask for a stamped copy of your original to travel with the translation. The translator certifies with signature and seal, or with an electronic signature; ask the receiving office which version it takes.

Inside the EU, a covered document with a multilingual standard form needs no translation if the office finds the form sufficient.

Plan the order: apostille first, then the sworn translation, then your appointment. The arraigo guide, the non-lucrative visa guide and the EU registration guide list their own documents.

↑ Contents

Not confirmed: How long a criminal record certificate stays valid depends on the office that receives it, so ask that office. No official tariff for sworn translations was found, so ask the translator for a quote.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

Spotted an error? Report it.