Paperwork
What Is an Apostille? Using Foreign Documents in Spain
Birth certificates, criminal records and diplomas from home usually need an apostille and a sworn translation before Spanish offices will accept them. Here’s how it works.
By
How to Live in Spain
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2 min read
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Spanish offices accept foreign documents only once they’ve been officially certified and translated. Getting the order right, and knowing how long each document stays valid, saves you from paying for the same certificate twice.
What an apostille is
An apostille is a certificate added to a public document, such as a birth certificate or criminal record, that confirms it’s genuine so it can be used in another country. It’s issued by the country that issued the document, and sometimes by the state or region, not by Spain.
Apostille first, then translate
A sworn translator must translate the apostille as well as the document, so the apostille has to be on it first. Only a traductor jurado on Spain’s Foreign Ministry list is accepted for official use. Some EU public documents don’t need an apostille at all, and EU multilingual forms can avoid translation.
Watch the dates
Criminal records are usually only accepted if issued in the last three months, and many offices want recent birth certificates too. Check spellings match your passport before you accept a translation, ask whether the office wants stamped paper or a digitally signed copy, and note when each document expires.
Get every document right first time with our apostille and translation checklist.
The issuing country adds the apostille
Get the apostille before the translation
Only a traductor jurado is accepted
Criminal records usually expire after three months
Some EU documents skip the apostille
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