Birth Certificate Translation for Spain
A sworn translation into Spanish for a visa, residency or marriage file — and what the apostille depends on.
Fixed price
€59
Covers a one-page birth certificate. Each extra page is priced at a fixed rate, shown before you confirm. All prices include Spanish VAT at 21%.
You see the plan and the total before paying.
What you receive
- A sworn translation into Spanish
- The full text of your document, translated and certified by a translator officially appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- A qualified digitally signed PDF
- Signed with a qualified electronic certificate, valid for electronic submission under Orden AUC/213/2025. Do not edit the file after you receive it, or the signature breaks.
- The translator’s appointment number
- Printed on the certification, so the receiving office can check the translator against the Ministry’s public register.
- Unlimited digital copies
- Download it as often as you need. A stamped paper original can be posted to you as an extra.
How it works
- 1
Upload the document
A scan or a clear photo is enough. You never post us anything.
- 2
Check your plan
We tell you what needs a sworn translation for your application, what does not, and the total price before you pay.
- 3
Pay in euros, VAT included
One figure, no additional charges once the work has started.
- 4
Receive your signed PDF
Within 48 hours as standard, or 24 hours with priority delivery.
The apostille depends on who issued it
A birth certificate is a public document, so before Spain accepts it, it is legalised in the country that issued it. The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Ireland are all parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, so for them that means an apostille. For a US certificate it comes from the Secretary of State of the state that issued the record.
Inside the EU it is simpler. Under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 a birth certificate issued in one EU country needs no apostille in another, and the issuing authority can attach a multilingual standard form. With the form, the Spanish office can ask for a translation only in exceptional circumstances, and a certified translation made in any EU country must be accepted.
Apostille first, then translate: the sworn translator certifies the document they were given, apostille included.
Who may translate it
At an office inside Spain, an official translation is one by a sworn translator appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Real Decreto 724/2020, art. 17). The UGE-CE, which handles digital nomad visas filed from Spain, asks for every document not in Spanish to come with a sworn translation.
At a consulate, the consulate decides. London asks for the documents on its checklist to be translated by a sworn translator registered in Spain, Edinburgh asks for children’s birth certificates to be apostilled and officially translated, and Houston asks for birth certificates to be translated by a certified translator. Only a sworn translation is also official later, at offices inside Spain.
Why an appointed translator matters
A traducción jurada is produced by a translator appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) for that specific language pair, who signs it under their own name and appointment number. Under Real Decreto 724/2020 it is an official translation in Spain; a certified or notarised translation made in another country is not.
Consulates abroad set their own rules. London, Edinburgh and Manchester require a sworn translator, while most US consulates also accept a local certified translator. Offices inside Spain ask for an official translation, and when a translation is not accepted, art. 68 of Ley 39/2015 gives ten working days to fix it before an application can be shelved.
We verify every translator against the Ministry’s public register, including their active status, before assigning work.
Questions
Based on the current published requirements for this application. Requirements may change.
Does a US birth certificate need an apostille for Spain?
Yes. The United States is a party to the Apostille Convention, and the apostille comes from the Secretary of State of the state that issued the certificate. Get it before the translation.
Does an Irish or other EU birth certificate need a translation in Spain?
Not if the issuing authority attaches the EU multilingual standard form: then a translation can be asked for only in exceptional circumstances. It needs no apostille either way.
Can I use a birth certificate translation done in the US or the UK?
Some consulates accept a local certified translation for the visa itself; London does not. Offices inside Spain ask for an official translation, which means a sworn translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What if my birth certificate has more than one page?
The fixed price covers one page. Extra pages are priced at a fixed rate per page, and you see the total before you confirm.
Official sources
- HCCH, Apostille Convention status table
- European e-Justice Portal, public documents (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191)
- Real Decreto 724/2020, sworn translators and interpreters (BOE)
- UGE-CE, documents for international teleworker applications (PDF)
- Consulate General, London — non-lucrative visa checklist (PDF)
- Consulate General, Edinburgh — non-lucrative visa checklist (PDF)
- Consulate General, Houston — non-lucrative visa
Upload it and see the price
We confirm what your office asks for and the total before any work starts.