Hague member · apostille accepted · sworn translation (traducción jurada)
Apostille for Spain
Non-lucrative visas, digital nomad visas, student visas, citizenship by descent, and getting married. Spain is strict about two things: how old your documents are, and who translated them.
What Spain usually asks for
| Purpose | US documents typically required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non-lucrative visa | FBI background check; marriage and birth certificates for dependents; sometimes a medical letter (notarized) | FBI check freshness limit; check the consulate |
| Digital nomad visa | FBI check; degree or proof of experience; employment or contractor letters, notarized | Same freshness rule |
| Student visa | FBI check (for stays over 180 days); sometimes a medical letter | — |
| Citizenship by descent | Birth certificates and marriage certificates across the generations; death certificates where applicable | Literal/long-form certified copies preferred |
| University enrollment or degree recognition | Diploma and transcript | Homologación may need additional steps |
| Marriage in Spain | Birth certificate; single-status affidavit; divorce decree if applicable | Registro Civil requirements vary by province |
| Property, inheritance | Power of attorney; death certificate; will | Spanish notaries often want their own POA wording |
Freshness limits
This is the thing that catches people. Spanish consulates generally want the criminal record certificate (the FBI check) to be recent, commonly within 90 days of filing, and some consulates apply a similar limit to civil-status documents. The FBI apostille goes through the US Department of State, whose processing time varies. Order the FBI check when you can count backward from your filing date through the federal processing time and still land inside the window. We tell you the current federal figure the day you ask.
Translation
Spain requires traducción jurada: a sworn translation by a translator certified by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is not the same as a US certified translation, and consulates routinely reject the latter. Sworn translators work from a scan of the apostilled document and deliver a signed, stamped translation, usually including the apostille itself. The order of operations is apostille first, then sworn translation. We can point you to MAEC-listed translators; we do not do the sworn translation ourselves.
What goes wrong
- An FBI check that ages out while waiting for the federal apostille. Time it.
- A US certified translation where a sworn one was required.
- Short-form birth certificate when the consulate wanted the long-form (literal) certificate with parents' details. Order the long form.
- Notarizing the FBI check. Never.
- Sending a state police check when the consulate specifically required the FBI one, or vice versa. Read the checklist.
How to start
Request a quote with the consulate's checklist and your target filing date. We map each document to its office, sequence the FBI check so it stays fresh, and quote it as one total.
Price: $99 standard per state document · $149 + $20 federal fee for the FBI check · rush and expedited available. Shipping to Spain available.
Get your exact price, all fees included
Two business hours to a written total. Nothing to pay and nothing to mail until you have it.
Start My ApostilleFrequently asked questions
How fresh does my FBI check need to be for a Spanish visa?
Spanish consulates commonly require the criminal record certificate to be issued within the last 90 days at the time you file, and some count from the apostille date. Because the federal apostille takes time, order the FBI check as close to your filing date as the processing time allows. We check the current federal processing time the day you request a quote so you can time it.
What is a traducción jurada and can you do it?
A sworn translation by a translator certified by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC). Spanish authorities generally require this for official documents, and a US certified translation is usually not accepted in its place. Sworn translators can work remotely from the apostilled scan, so the typical order is: apostille here, sworn translation by a MAEC-listed translator, file. We can refer you to sworn translators; we do not produce traducciones juradas ourselves.
Does the apostille need to be translated too?
Often yes for Spain. Sworn translators normally translate the apostille along with the document. Confirm with the consulate or office handling your case.
I am applying for Spanish citizenship through a grandparent. What do I need?
Typically your birth certificate, your parent's birth certificate, and marriage certificates linking the generations, all apostilled, plus the Spanish ancestor's records from Spain. Requirements depend on which route you are using; the consulate's checklist is the spec. Send it to us and we handle every US document on it.