Apostille and sworn translation spanish cost

We handle the full package for documents destined for Spain or Spanish-speaking authorities: apostille certification of your original document plus a sworn translation (traducción jurada) performed by a certified sworn translator (traductor jurado) officially recognized by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC). You send us a scan, we confirm the scope, and you receive a ready-to-submit set — legalized original and certified translation — without making a single trip to a government office or translation bureau yourself.

Before going further, here is what you actually pay for the combined service. The final figure depends on where the document was issued, how much text needs translating, and whether you need standard or expedited service — there is no single typical package price:

  • Apostille government fee: In many jurisdictions, this is free or nominal. Spain’s Ministerio de Justicia charges €0 for an apostille — it is a free administrative service. US federal apostille (Department of State): $20. US state-level apostille: typically $10–$20.
  • Sworn translation into Spanish by a MAEC-certified traductor jurado: $40–$90 for a standard one- or two-page certificate (birth certificate, criminal record certificate), depending on the translator and the language pair. Longer documents (academic transcripts, legal judgments, corporate papers) are billed per page or per word, and commonly run $90–$250 for multi-page files.
  • Agency handling fee (document review, submission to the competent authority, tracking, delivery): $50–$120 per document.
  • International courier delivery: $25–$70 depending on destination and speed.

Putting it together, most clients requesting a full-service apostille + sworn Spanish translation package pay $120–$250 for standard processing of a simple one-page document, and $250–$400 for expedited multi-page documents or rush cases. These are market ranges from legalization agencies, not a regulated tariff — each agency sets its own fees. You get a fixed quote for your specific case before work begins.

What determines the price

There is no single fixed price for an apostille and sworn translation into Spanish, and any site that quotes you one number before seeing your document is guessing. The final cost depends on four factors:

  1. Document type and issuing authority. A criminal record certificate, a birth certificate, a diploma, and a court judgment go through different issuing authorities and different legalization routes. Some documents need prior certification by an intermediate authority before the apostille can be affixed. Each route has its own handling requirements.
  2. Country of issue. An apostille on a document issued in the United States follows a different process and fee structure than one issued in the UK, Mexico, or the Philippines. Some require federal-level apostille (like FBI documents in the US, which must be apostilled by the US Department of State at $20), while others are handled at the state or provincial level.
  3. Volume of text to translate. Sworn translators in Spain charge per page or per word. A short one-page certificate costs $40–$70; a multi-page academic transcript can run $150–$250 or more. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) maintains a registry of certified sworn translators (traductores jurados), but does not regulate their fees — each translator sets their own rate, typically in the range of €0.08–€0.15 per word (roughly $0.09–$0.17 per word) depending on the language pair and document complexity.
  4. Urgency. Standard processing and expedited processing are priced differently at every stage — both the apostille and the translation. An expedited service usually adds $30–$80 to the total package cost.

The same logic applies to timing. The total turnaround is the sum of three stages: obtaining or preparing the document (if needed), the apostille itself, and the sworn translation. Each stage has its own realistic timeframe depending on the issuing authority’s current workload.

The fastest way to get a real number: send us a scan or photo of your document through our contact form, and we will come back with an exact quote for your specific case — no obligation, no generic price list.

What’s included in the service

When you order the combined apostille + sworn translation package, we take care of:

  • Review of your document before anything else starts — checking that it’s suitable for apostille and identifying the correct competent authority.
  • Apostille certification of the original document by the appropriate authority in the country of issue.
  • Sworn translation into Spanish by a translator certified by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación) — the ordinary route admitted for official translations in Spain under RD 724/2020, art. 17, which also admits other avenues in specific cases; always confirm which type your receiving office requires.
  • Verification that the translation matches the legalized version, including the apostille notation where required.
  • Delivery of the finished set to you, physically or digitally depending on what the receiving institution requires.

What we need from you

To start, we ask for surprisingly little:

  • A clear scan or photo of the document (the original will be needed later if the apostille must be placed on the physical copy).
  • The country where the document was issued.
  • The name of the institution or authority in Spain that will receive it — this matters, because some recipients have specific formatting or certification requirements.
  • Your deadline, if you have one.

If your document needs to be obtained first — for example, a criminal record certificate from your home country — we can arrange that too as part of the same order.

How the process works

Step 1 — Free assessment. You send us the document and details of where it’s going. We confirm feasibility, identify the competent authority, and give you a firm quote with a realistic timeframe.

Step 2 — Confirmation and handover. Once you approve the quote, you either courier us the original or we begin with the digital copy if the workflow allows.

Step 3 — Apostille. We submit the document to the relevant authority — this could be a Secretary of State, the Foreign Office, the Ministerio de Justicia, or another designated body depending on the document’s origin — and track it until the apostille is affixed.

Step 4 — Sworn translation. The legalized document goes to a certified sworn translator who produces the official Spanish version with the translator’s certification statement.

Step 5 — Delivery. You receive the complete set, checked against the receiving institution’s requirements before it ships.

You can follow each step — we keep you updated rather than leaving you to wonder what’s happening with your documents.

When this service won’t work for you

Honesty saves everyone time. This service is not the right fit if:

  • The destination country is not Spain and doesn’t accept Spanish sworn translations. If your documents are going to Germany, Italy, Brazil, or elsewhere, you’ll need a sworn translator certified for that country instead. Tell us the destination and we’ll point you in the right direction.
  • The receiving institution accepts a regular certified translation. Some employers or private organizations don’t require a Ministry-certified sworn translation — in that case paying for one is unnecessary, and a simpler option will do.
  • The document is not eligible for an apostille. Certain document types cannot be apostilled directly and require full consular legalization instead. If that applies to yours, we’ll tell you upfront and explain the alternative route.
  • The document is damaged, illegible, or contains errors. Authorities may reject it. You’d need a duplicate or corrected reissue first — which we can also help organize.

If any of these situations sounds like yours, contact us anyway. Often there’s a workable alternative; when there isn’t, we’ll save you from paying for something that would be rejected.

FAQ

How much does an apostille and sworn translation into Spanish cost?

There is no single typical package price: it depends on where the document was issued, how much text needs translating, and whether you need standard or expedited service. Our quotes are private-service prices, not government charges. The apostille government fee itself is usually free or nominal — Spain applies no Ministry of Justice fee for most document types (notarial college fees may apply to notarial documents), the US federal apostille fee is $20 — so most of what you pay covers the sworn translator’s work and the agency’s handling and courier costs. Rather than quoting one number that turns out to be wrong for your case, we assess your specific document and give you an exact figure before you commit to anything.

How long does the whole process take?

The timeline is the sum of the apostille stage and the translation stage, plus document preparation if the original needs to be obtained first. Each depends on the workload of the issuing authority and the translator’s schedule. After reviewing your document, we give you a realistic completion date — not an optimistic guess.

Do I need the apostille before the translation, or the other way around?

In most cases the apostille comes first, because the sworn translation must reflect the final, legalized version of the document — including the apostille notation. There are exceptions depending on the document type and the receiving institution, which is why we check the order of operations during the free assessment.

Is a sworn translation the same as a notarized translation?

No, and the difference matters in Spain. A sworn translation (traducción jurada) is signed and stamped by a translator authorized by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A notarized translation is a different mechanism used in other countries. Spanish public bodies generally require the sworn version specifically.

Can you apostille a document issued in any country?

We work with documents issued across many jurisdictions, routing each one to its correct competent authority. Send us the document details and we’ll confirm whether direct apostille is possible or whether additional steps apply.

Will the receiving institution accept the translated copy alone?

Some institutions accept a high-quality scan of the sworn translation; others insist on the physical original with wet signatures. This varies by institution, so tell us who the recipient is and we’ll prepare the set in the format they actually require.

Get your exact quote today

You came here looking for a cost. The only accurate answer starts with your actual document. Send us a scan through our criminal record certificate service — or use the general contact form — and you’ll have a firm price, a realistic deadline, and a clear plan for your apostille and sworn Spanish translation.

For background reading while you wait, these guides cover related ground:

One message now saves weeks of back-and-forth later. Start with your free assessment and let’s get your documents moving.