Get your Chilean Registro Civil certificate apostilled by the competent authority (translated only if needed) for Spain visa and residency applications. One of the fastest processes in Latin America. Free consultation.
📋 Regularización Extraordinaria 2026
This criminal record document was required for the process; the application period closed on June 30, 2026. Processing times depend on the issuing authority, document type and any required authentication or translation; request a case-specific estimate.
Step 1 of 4
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Spain's visa requirements are set per visa category and consular post: certificate age, country coverage and translations depend on the current checklist. For Chileans, the Spanish-side document is the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales issued by the Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación de Chile.
Chile is a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. The competent apostille authority depends on the document type: for Chilean civil-status and criminal-record documents it is the Registro Civil e Identificación; MINREL is not the sole apostille office for those certificates. The official apostille itself is free where available, and documents apostilled by the competent office are directly recognized in Spain — no consular legalization chain is required.
Applying for a non-lucrative visa, work permit, or residency in Spain? Spanish authorities require your Chilean criminal record certificate (Registro Civil) with apostille (and a certified translation only if needed). Chile's efficient online system means we can often complete your full package in under two weeks.
The application period for Spain's 2026 extraordinary regularization closed on 30 June 2026, so this applies only to pending cases or later document requests. The programme required a criminal record certificate with apostille for the countries of residence required by the current rules of the program. For Chileans, the Registro Civil certificate is the required document — and Chile's streamlined process makes it one of the faster countries to handle.
Living in Spain, the US, or elsewhere and need your Chilean criminal record? The Chilean Registro Civil has an online portal that allows requests from abroad. We can guide you through it or manage it entirely on your behalf.
Example only — applies only if the consular post or office handling your case sets a 90-day certificate-age limit. It does not guarantee acceptance.
There is no universal three-to-six-month window: verified Spanish consular checklists include limits of three, five and six months, generally counted from the issuance date of the certificate. Check the current official checklist of the consular post processing your application. Where a limit applies, it counts from the issuance date — not the apostille date, not the translation date.
⚡ Pro tip: Submit as soon as the full document package is ready — do not wait until near the end of your procedure's limit.
⚠️ Warning: Some applicants lose months of work because the certificate is no longer accepted by the time the apostille or translation is ready. Start early.
| Document | Issuing authority | Estimated time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificado de Antecedentes Penales del Registro Civil | Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación de Chile | Same day to 2–3 business days (online request available) | Available free online at registrocivil.cl via ClaveÚnica (a Registro Civil office copy costs CLP 1,050). Can be requested from abroad. Must be a recent certificate — Spanish authorities set the freshness requirement per procedure; verified checklists range between three, five and six months from issuance. |
| Apostille — competent authority for the document | Registro Civil for civil-status and criminal-record documents; other competent authorities for other document types | Official apostille free where available; timing depends on office/channel | The competent apostille authority depends on the document type. For Chilean civil-status and criminal-record documents it is the Registro Civil; MINREL is not the sole apostille office for those certificates. The official apostille itself is free where available. |
| Certified Spanish translation (only if needed) | Sworn / certified translator recognized by Spanish authorities | 1–2 business days | Not needed if the certificate is already in Spanish. Only if the document (or part of it) is in another language, or if the receiving office specifically asks; then it must be done by an official translation accepted in Spain (e.g. a traductor jurado). |
| Valid Chilean passport or RUT (Rol Único Tributario) | Applicant | Must be current | Name must match exactly what appears on the criminal record certificate. Include all compound names and surnames as they appear on your identity documents. |
Request the Certificado de Antecedentes para Fines Particulares/Especiales online at registrocivil.cl (free via ClaveÚnica; CLP 1,050 in office) — NOT the domestic "fines internos" version.
The apostille is handled by the competent authority for the document: for Chilean civil-status and criminal-record certificates, the Registro Civil. The official apostille is free where available; timing depends on the office/channel.
Not needed if the certificate is already in Spanish. Only if the document (or part of it) is in another language, or if the receiving office specifically asks.
Where a 90-day limit applies, it starts from certificate issuance in Step 1.
⚠️ Remember: where a 90-day limit applies, it counts from the Step 1 issuance date — not from when you submit. Check your procedure's checklist.
Contact us with your Spain visa or residency application details. We confirm the exact certificate required (Registro Civil is standard for Spain), check your timeline against your application date, and give you a firm quote and processing estimate.
We guide you through the online request at registrocivil.cl, which can be done from anywhere in the world. For clients who prefer a fully managed service, we handle the request on your behalf using a notarized authorization. The Chilean system is well-organized and typically responds quickly.
Once the Registro Civil certificate is issued, we submit it for apostille to the competent authority — for Chilean civil-status and criminal-record documents, this is the Registro Civil itself. The official apostille is free where available; timing depends on the office and channel.
If you need a translation, the apostilled certificate is translated by a sworn translator recognized in Spain. The complete package — original apostilled certificate (+ certified translation if needed) — is delivered by tracked international courier to your address, ready to submit to Spanish consulates or immigration offices.
We review your documents before submission to catch every one of these errors before they cause a rejection.
Illustrative examples based on common situations; names and details are changed.
Chilean applying for a Non-Lucrative Visa to live in Spain.
Chilean in Spain who applied for regularización extraordinaria — the application period closed on June 30, 2026.
Chilean couple applying for Spain's digital nomad visa, working remotely.
Illustrative examples based on common situations; names and details are changed.
Information on this page is based on procedures from recognized government and intergovernmental bodies — not third-party estimates.
Reviewed by
Laura ChenLegal Document Expert
Specialist in documents for the English-speaking market with a focus on fast and secure processing.
Yes. The Certificado de Antecedentes Penales issued by the Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación de Chile is the standard criminal record certificate recognized by Spanish immigration authorities and consulates for visa and residency applications.
The Registro Civil certificate can often be obtained free online (office copy CLP 1,050). The apostille goes before the competent authority for the document — for Chilean civil-status and criminal-record documents, the Registro Civil — and the official apostille is free where available, with timing depending on the office and channel. A certified translation, only if needed, adds 1–2 days. There is no fixed overall SLA; check the official timeline of the specific channel.
Yes. The Registro Civil e Identificación de Chile has an online portal that allows requests from abroad. For some cases a notarized authorization may be needed. We guide you through the process or manage it on your behalf, regardless of where you are located.
If your certificate is already in Spanish, you do not need a sworn translation to use it in Spain. A sworn translation is only needed if the document (or part of it) is in another language, or if the receiving office specifically asks. If you do need one, it must be done by a sworn translator recognized in Spain, and we can arrange it.
Yes. Chile is a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Documents apostilled by the competent Chilean office for each document type are directly recognized in Spain without any additional consular legalization.
Yes. The apostille is handled by the competent authority for your document — for Registro Civil certificates, the Registro Civil itself, and the official apostille is free where available. We submit through the available system on your behalf and monitor every step.
The certificate age limit is set by each consular post; verified Spanish checklists range between three, five and six months, counted from issuance. Given Chile's fast processing, we generally recommend requesting it close to your planned Spain application submission date.
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