Spain Documents FAQ

Requirements depend on the visa category and consular post. A long-stay visa (non-lucrative, digital nomad) typically requires: valid passport, criminal record certificate with apostille where the checklist requires one, medical certificate or health insurance, proof of sufficient income, and completed application forms. For documents from abroad, apostille and sworn-translation requirements depend on the document and destination: qualifying public documents from another EU Member State are exempt from apostille under Regulation 2016/1191. Use the current checklist of the consular office and visa category.

Not all foreign documents require an apostille or sworn translation in Spain. Qualifying public documents from another EU Member State are exempt from apostille under Regulation 2016/1191, and an optional multilingual standard form may simplify translation. For other documents or countries, check the specific visa and receiving-office instructions.

The 2026 extraordinary regularization (regularización extraordinaria) was a Spanish government program that offered a path to legal residency for undocumented immigrants who had been residing in Spain; the application period closed on 30 June 2026 with 1,174,978 applications received according to the Ministry of Inclusion. It required proof of residence, employment or social integration, and criminal record certificates with apostille for the countries of residence that the procedure's rules required documentation for.

The application period closed on 30 June 2026, so new applications are no longer possible. While the window was open, the residence-history threshold was set by the procedure's rules; not every stay of any duration created another certificate requirement. Each required certificate had to be apostilled by the competent authority of the issuing country, and translation requirements still depend on the receiving office.

Yes. FBI documents are federal records. The apostille must come from the US Department of State Office of Authentications — not from any state Secretary of State. State-level apostilles on FBI documents are invalid and will be rejected by Spanish authorities.

Criminal-record freshness is not a single Spain-wide rule. Official examples vary: Buenos Aires three months for the specified visa, Toronto five months for self-employed work, Ottawa six months for self-employed work. Use the current checklist of the appropriate consular office and visa category.

It depends on the document and the receiving office. Where translation is required, confirm with that office which types of official translation it accepts; the standard for officially recognised translations is set by RD 724/2020 art. 17. For covered intra-EU documents, the issuer's optional multilingual standard form under Regulation 2016/1191 may simplify translation. We provide sworn translations that meet Spanish requirements.

A traducción jurada is a translation performed by a government-appointed sworn translator (traductor jurado), recognized by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It includes a signed declaration of accuracy and the translator's official stamp. It is different from a standard certified translation.

No. A translation done by yourself or by a bilingual friend is not an official translation and cannot be accepted as one. For Spain, a translation by a sworn translator appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEUEC) is a recognized route, and other official translations may qualify under Spanish law or applicable EU rules, depending on the procedure — confirm the requirements of the receiving office.

Family reunification in Spain typically requires: birth certificates (apostilled), marriage certificate if applicable (apostilled), criminal record certificates from the countries of recent residence required by the current checklist (apostilled), proof of relationship, and the sponsoring resident's documents. Not all foreign documents need apostille and sworn translation: qualifying public documents from another EU Member State are exempt from apostille under Regulation 2016/1191. Check the specific receiving-office instructions.

Non-lucrative visa: 1–3 months from complete application submission at Spanish consulate. Residency permit in Spain: 1–3 months. Regularization 2026: the application period closed on 30 June 2026; pending files are processed within the program's official deadlines. These timelines assume your documents are complete and correctly apostilled.

A visa is granted by a Spanish consulate abroad and allows you to enter Spain and stay for a defined period. Residency (tarjeta de residencia) is granted inside Spain and provides the right to live and work in Spain long-term. Both typically require apostilled documents, though qualifying public documents from another EU Member State are exempt from apostille under Regulation 2016/1191.

You need to request a new certified copy from the civil registry that issued the original. Once you have the certified copy, it can be apostilled. We can guide you through the process for most countries.

Spain applies the Convention to qualifying public documents from jurisdictions where it is in force in the bilateral relationship, subject to its scope and any accession objections. A correct apostille authenticates origin, but the consulate or administration may require the right document type, a specific freshness window and an admissible translation; covered documents from other EU Member States may be exempt from apostille.

An apostille certifies the authenticity of a document at the time of issue — it does not extend the document's validity. If your criminal record certificate is older than the validity window that the receiving Spanish authority accepts (there is no universal window — it varies by procedure; check the current official checklist), you need a new certificate, then apostille it.

Spanish authorities will reject it. FBI documents are federal — only the US Dept. of State can apostille them. You will need to resubmit with the correct federal apostille, causing significant delays.

The residence-history threshold depends on the visa category and consular post; check the current official checklist of the consular post processing your application to see which countries require certificates. Officially, for example, the Ottawa self-employed work visa requires another country's record when the applicant spent more than 180 days there within the previous five years.

Yes. Our service is 100% remote. We handle document retrieval, apostille, and certified translation for clients anywhere in the world. Final documents are delivered by express courier to your address.

Most Latin American countries are Hague members, so apostille applies. If your country is not a member, documents need to go through full consular legalization: authentication by your country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the Spanish embassy in your country. We handle both apostille and consular legalization.

No. Spain's investor residence visa ("golden visa") was abolished by Ley Orgánica 1/2025. No new golden-visa applications can be filed from 3 April 2025. Applications filed before that date and renewals of still-valid investor permits are covered by the transitional provisions. Other long-stay visas, such as the non-lucrative or digital nomad visa, still require apostilled criminal record certificates and other standard documentation.

No. Spain's non-lucrative visa does not permit work. For paid work, check which current work or residence authorisation applies to your circumstances; Spain's former investor (golden) visa is closed to new applicants. Each has its own document requirements — including apostilled criminal record certificates.

The Padrón municipal is the Spanish local census register. You need to be registered to access healthcare, enroll children in school, and eventually apply for long-term residency. Apostilled documents are not required for Padrón registration itself, but they are required for the underlying visa or residency status that gives you the right to register.