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When you don’t need a sworn translation for Spain

Updated · Official sources checked

Short answer

When the office says so, or the document already speaks Spanish. Boston takes bank statements and IRS returns untranslated. Boston, Chicago and Houston ask for a bilingual medical certificate, and Los Angeles needs no further translation on its own model. Several consulates say the apostille itself needs no translation. A civil document from another EU country that carries a multilingual standard form needs a translation only in exceptional circumstances, and Ireland issues its certificate of freedom to marry for Spain in Spanish.

Key facts

Bank statements and IRS returns

No translation at Boston

Medical certificate

Bilingual at Boston, Chicago and Houston; the Los Angeles model

The apostille itself

No translation at Boston, Miami, Washington DC, Ottawa and Edinburgh

EU civil documents

A multilingual standard form instead of a translation

What an official source says needs no sworn translation

Cases where the office’s own page, or the law, says no translation or only a simple one is needed, read on 9 October 2026.
DocumentWhereWhat the source saysSource
Bank statements, IRS returnsBoston, non-lucrative visa“No need to be translated into Spanish”Official page
Medical certificateBoston, non-lucrative visaBilingual, with the doctor’s stamp and signature in Spanish or translatedOfficial page
Medical certificateChicago, non-lucrative visaBilingual; the consulate recommends its templateOfficial page
Medical certificateHouston, non-lucrative visaBilingual; the consulate recommends its templateOfficial page
Medical certificateLos Angeles, non-lucrative visaOn the consulate’s model, “an additional translation is not required”Official page
Apostille on a criminal recordWashington DC, telework visaThe apostille “does not need a translation”; the record under it doesOfficial page
Apostille on a criminal recordOttawa, non-lucrative visaTranslating the apostille is possible “but it is not necessary”Official page
ApostilleEdinburgh, non-lucrative visa“The Hague Apostille stamp does not need to be translated”Checklist
Public document with an EU multilingual standard formAny EU country, for a document from anotherA translation can be required only “in exceptional circumstances”e-Justice
Irish certificate of freedom to marryMarrying in SpainIssued in the official language of the country: SpanishDFA Ireland
CVUGE-CE, digital nomad visa filed in SpainA simple translation, “mediante traducción simple”UGE-CE
Cases where the office’s own page, or the law, says no translation or only a simple one is needed, read on 9 October 2026. Each case holds only where its source says so. Another office, or another application, can still ask for a translation.

Bilingual medical certificates

Boston, Chicago and Houston ask for the medical certificate to be bilingual, and Chicago and Houston publish a template. Los Angeles asks for a Spanish translation of a certificate issued only in English, unless it is on the consulate’s model.

The UK consulates work the other way: London and Manchester ask for the medical certificate to be translated by a sworn translator, and Edinburgh for an official translation unless it was issued in Spain.

The apostille itself

Boston, Miami, Washington DC and Ottawa say it in almost the same words: the translation does not need an apostille, and the apostille does not need a translation. Edinburgh’s checklist says the Hague apostille stamp does not need to be translated, and that only the original documents need legalising and translating. What gets translated is the document under the apostille.

Documents from EU countries

Under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, a public document issued in one EU country on birth, being alive, death, marriage (including capacity to marry and marital status), registered partnership, domicile or residence, or the absence of a criminal record can carry a multilingual standard form, which the issuing authority provides on request. With the form attached, the receiving authority can require a translation only in exceptional circumstances; if it does require a certified translation, it must accept one made in any EU country. The regulation covers documents issued by EU countries, which the UK no longer is.

Ireland issues its certificate of freedom to marry for Spain in Spanish, so it needs neither a translation nor a multilingual form.

Questions

Juranza is a translation service, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. Requirements published by Spanish consulates and immigration offices change without notice — always check your own consulate before submitting.

Does the apostille need to be translated for Spain?

Not at the consulates that address it: Boston, Miami, Washington DC and Ottawa say the apostille does not need a translation, and Edinburgh says the apostille stamp does not need translating. The document under it does.

Do I need a translation if my medical certificate is bilingual?

Boston, Chicago and Houston ask for a bilingual medical certificate, and Los Angeles says no further translation is needed on its model. The UK consulates ask for a translation of a medical certificate not in Spanish.

Does a document from another EU country need a sworn translation in Spain?

Not if it carries an EU multilingual standard form, available for civil-status documents such as birth and marriage certificates and for criminal record certificates: the Spanish authority can then require a translation only in exceptional circumstances. Ask the issuing authority for the form.

Do bank statements need a translation?

Boston says bank statements and IRS returns need no translation. Other consulates differ, from an official translation at San Francisco to saying nothing at all.

Official sources

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