Apostille Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates in Spain for use in the United States and abroad
We attest Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates issued in Spain when required for presentation to authorities abroad.
Spanish birth, marriage and death certificates can be authenticated with a Hague Convention Apostille stamp from the Ministry of Justice.
Authorities of countries that have signed the 
Hague Apostille Convention will recognise Spanish Apostilles directly as confirmation of authenticity. Otherwise, birth, death and marriage certificates must be legalized by the Ministry of Justice and then the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before final attestation by the destination country's embassy in Madrid.
- See list of Apostille Convention Countries
We can obtain new official copies of Spanish Birth, death and marriage certificates direct from civil registry offices in each Province, so there is no need to send your paper copy to obtain an Apostille.
We deliver apostilled certificates to clients worldwide by secure courier.
Submission within the European Union
Spanish certificates of civil status (marriage, death and birth certificates) do not require an Apostille stamp when required for submission in another Member State of the European Union. For further information, see:
Regulation (EU) 2016/1191
Civil status certificates (multilingual extracts from the civil status registers)
Spanish birth, marriage and death certificates) issued in accordance with the conventions of the International Commission on Civil and Civil Status should not require Apostille Stamps when being submitted to one of the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cape Verde, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey.
How to obtain a certified copy of a Spanish birth, marriage or death certificate
Spanish birth certificates (Certificado de Nacimiento), death certificates (Certificado de Defunción) and marriage certificates (Certificado de Matrimonio) are issued by Civil Registry Offices (Registros Civil) located in Municipalities and Spanish consulates abroad.There are different types of certificate avaialble:
- Long form certificate (Certificado Literal): This is a literal copy of the birth, death or marriage registration, and includes all data recorded in the register including additional notes (e.g. in the case of a marriage certificate: prenuptial agreement, separation, annulment or divorce, etc.).
- Extract: This is a short form certificate and will not always be sufficient for submission to foreign authorities, containing a summary of data recorded in the registry
- International or multilingual: Standard form certificate issued in accordance with the Vienna Convention in a multilingual format. This certificate may not be valid for submission to non-EU countries, other than countries which are signatories to the Vienna Convention (Turkey, Macedonia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova).
- Negative Certificate: A negative certificate certifies that there is no record of the birth, death or marriage in the issuing civil registry.
Birth Certificates
Official copies of Spanish birth certificates may be requested online by post or in-person. A full birth certificate (Certificado Literal) can be downloaded immediately with
Cl@ve Digital ID or European Digitial ID or sent to your address by mail. Multilingual certificates, or certificates required for a specific purpose (first request for Spanish ID or passport) will be delivered by post.Applications by post or in person can be made through the Civil Registry Office where the birth was registered.
Certificates for births occurring outside Spain and registered with a Spanish Consulate can be obtained from the consulate where the birth was registered (the applicant may also need to be registered as a resident in the area of the consulate's jurisdiction).
Marriage Certificates
Official copies of Spanish marriage certificates may be requested online. If available, the marriage certificate can be downloaded immediately with
Cl@ve Digital ID or European Digitial ID or sent to your address by mail.Alterntively, it is also possible to apply for marriage certificates by post or in-person through the Civil Registry Office where the marriage was registered. Certificates for marriages that took place outside Spain and which were registered at a Spanish Consulate can be obtained by contacting the consulate where the marriage was registered.
Death Certificates
Copies of Spanish death certificates may be requested online or through the Civil Registry Office where the death was registered by post or in person. Certificates for deaths registered aboard may be obtained through the Spanish Consulate where the death was registered.
Certificate of Status
A Certificate of Status can be obtained from the Civil Registry Office or by making a person declaration before a Spanish notary. A Certificate of Status confirms that the person named is alive and also confirms their status as single, widowed or divorced (a marriage certificate is used to confirm married status).
Certified translations of Spanish death, marriage and birth certificates
When presenting Spanish marriage, death and birth certificates in countries which do not have Spanish as an official language, then a certified translation may be required. The certified translation must meet the requirements of the destination country, so that a translation done locally in Spain may require additional certification.
Spain does not issue Apostille Stamps to authenticate translations, although sworn translations required for submission to foreign embassies of non-apostille countries in Spain can be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Alternatively, translations can be done and certified in the recipient country after the original certificate has been apostilled in Spain.
For further information about our Spanish apostille service and about legalizing birth, death and marriage certificates issued in Spain for use in the United States and abroad, use our online quotation form or send us an email us. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed: