Do You Need to Translate an Apostille?
It depends on who is asking for the document. The 1961 Hague Convention regulates what the apostille certificate looks like, but it does not say whether it has to be translated. If the document is going to be presented in Spain, the body that receives it decides what translation it requires. What is regulated is which translations have official status in Spain: Spanish law defines several categories of official translation, including translations made by an authorised sworn translator (traductor jurado).
Official sources consulted on 1 November 2026. General information, not legal advice.
What the 1961 Hague Convention does (and does not) say
Article 3 of the Hague Convention establishes that the only formality that can be required to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document acted and, where applicable, the identity of the seal or stamp it bears, is the apostille provided for in Article 4, issued by the competent authority of the State from which the document originates.
Article 4 sets out the model of the certificate. It can be drafted in the official language of the authority issuing it. The standard fields may also appear in a second language, and the title “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)” is always in French.
These articles contain no rule about translating the document or the apostille. That does not mean a translation is never needed: it means these articles do not settle the question. Check the applicable rules and the requirements of the receiving body.
The apostille and the document are not always translated the same way
It helps to separate two things:
- The apostilled document (a criminal record certificate, a birth certificate, a degree). If it is in a language other than Spanish, ask the receiving body whether it needs a translation and whether that translation must be a sworn one.
- The apostille certificate itself. It has standard fields that can appear in two languages. If the body wants the translation to cover the apostille as well, it will tell you: ask before commissioning it.
We have not found a general rule that either requires or dispenses with translating the apostille itself. That is why we cannot give a categorical answer: before commissioning anything, ask the body that requested the document whether it wants the apostille included in the translation.
What counts as an official translation in Spain
The Regulation of the Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas (Office of Language Interpretation) (Real Decreto 724/2020, of 4 August) states in its Article 17 which translations from abroad into Spanish have official status. Among them are translations certified by the Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas of the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and translations made by someone holding the title of Traductor Jurado or Intérprete Jurado (sworn translator or sworn interpreter) granted by that Ministry.
Under Article 18, the traductor jurado certifies the faithfulness and accuracy of the translation with their signature and stamp, and a copy of the original, stamped and dated on every page, must accompany the translation so that its authenticity can be checked.
Can it be electronic?
Yes, under certain conditions. Orden AUC/213/2025, of 26 February allows the traductor jurado to certify with a qualified electronic signature. Under its Article 3, that certification may replace the handwritten signature and the physical stamp, though it neither excludes nor invalidates them: both forms remain valid. When an electronic signature is used, a text box containing the translator’s name, their authorised language pairs and their number is included in place of the physical stamp.
The fact that a translation is signed electronically does not guarantee that every body will accept it in that format. If you are going to present it at a specific office, confirm which format that office accepts.
How to find a sworn translator
The Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) publishes the list of sworn translators and interpreters through its official search tool: the Buscador de Traductores e Intérpretes Jurados (STIJ) (search tool for sworn translators and interpreters). This is provided for in Article 6 of Orden AUC/213/2025. You can check the language pair and the registration number of any professional there.
Order of the steps: apostille first and then translate?
We have not located a general rule on whether the translation should be done before or after the apostille. The decision rests with the receiving body. If you are unsure, ask it for that instruction in writing and keep it.
How we can help you
If you need a sworn translation of an apostilled document to present it in Spain, on translation for Spain after the apostille we explain how we work. If your document is of another kind, see legal document translation. These guides may also be useful: sworn translation for Spain and apostille versus legalisation.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Hague Convention require the apostille to be translated?
No. Articles 3 and 4 regulate the form and the model of the certificate, not its translation. Whether it has to be translated is decided by the body that receives the document.
Is any translation valid in Spain?
It depends on the procedure. For a translation to have official status in Spain it must be certified in accordance with Article 17 of Real Decreto 724/2020, for example by a traductor jurado (sworn translator). What each body requires for its specific procedure must be confirmed with that body.
Can a sworn translation be electronic?
It can be. Orden AUC/213/2025 allows it to be certified with a qualified electronic signature, which may replace the handwritten signature and the physical stamp without excluding them. Confirm that the receiving body accepts electronic documents.
Is the translation done before or after the apostille?
No general rule fixing this appears in the sources we have reviewed. Check with the body before which you are going to present the document.