Certify documents issued in Spain for official use in the United States and abroad.
Apostilles in Spain can be obtained to authenticate official Spanish documents such as birth, death and Marriage certificates, Criminal Record Certificates (Certificado de Antecedentes Penales), Spanish university diplomas, and documents certified by a Spanish notary.
Spanish Apostille stamps are issued by the Ministry of Justice. Documents needed for submission in non-apostille countries require legalization by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and attestation by the embassy of the recipient country in Madrid.
- Isarey offers expedited Apostille services in Spain.
- We work with all major embassies in Madrid for the attestation of Spanish university degree and other documents, including the embassies of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Vietnam and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.
FAQs - Spain Apostille Services
Spanish Documents that can be authenticated with Apostille Stamps
Birth, death and Marriage Certificates
Apostille Spanish birth, death and marriage certificates. Original paper or certified digital certificates are required, issued by a civil registry office of the Ministry of Justice. Apostilles can be obtained for long-form certificates (Certificado literal), extracts and multilingual certificates.Isarey can obtain certificates in Spain for clients based abroad for authentication by Apostille or consular legalization.Criminal Record Certificates
Apostille Spanish Criminal Record Certificates (Certificado de Antecedentes Penales) issued by the Ministry of Justice. We can also obtain Criminal Record Certificates for clients based outside Spain for authentication.
Spanish Criminal Record CertificatesUniversity degrees
Apostille Spanish university diplomas and school certificates.Official university certificates (Títulos universitarios de carácter oficial) are certified by the Ministry of Universities, then authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Ministry of Justice. Original diplomas are required (Spanish or bilingual) with a handwritten or digital signature (CSV -Secure Verification Code). Other university documents can be certified by a notary.Academic certificates issued by non-university institutions are authenticated with an Apostille after being certified by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport.Academic certificates under the jurisdiction of Autonomous Communities are authenticated with an Apostille after being certified by the Ministry of Education of the respective Autonomous Community.Notarized documents
Apostille Spanish powers of attorney, affidavits and other documents certified in Spain by a notary. Apostilles are obtained through the regional Notary Association (Colegio Notarial) where the notary is registered.Divorce Certificates
Apostille Spanish Divorce Judgements. Spain does not issue divorce certificates, but separation or divorce can be confirmed by obtaining a full form marriage certificate (Certificado literal). Copies of divorce agreements (convenio de divorcio) and judgements can be obtained from the court and then certified by the High Court of Justice of the corresponding Regional Government before being authenticated with an Apostille Stamp for submission abroad.Company Documents
Apostille company documents in Spain, including Articles of Association (Escritura), Registration Certificate (Nota simple MercantilA Registration Certificate serves as a Certificate of Good Standing. The Registration Certificate (Nota SimpleIsarey can obtain certified company documents and company search reports from Commerical Registry in Spain for authentication with an Apostille Stamp or legalization. Please contact us for details.Trade documents
Commercial Spanish documents relating to exports, including certificates of origin and free sale, require certification by the Provincial chamber of commerce.Certificates of Single Status
Certificates of Status in Spain can be obtained from Civil Registry Offices, confirming the civil status of the applicant as single, divorce or widowed, and then authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Ministry of Justice.Probate Documents
Apostille Spanish Last Will and Testament. To obtain a copy of last will and testament in Spain, a Last Will and Testament Certificate (Certificado de Actos de Última Voluntad) can be obtained from the Ministry of Justice (copy of death certificate required). This certificate will indicate the notary office from where the will is registered and from where a certified copy can be obtained for authentication by Apostille.Bank documents: Documents issued by Spanish banks can be authenticated with an Apostille after being certified by the Bank of Spain. The document must be signed by an authorised representative of the issuing bank with a registered signature.Medical Certificates: Apostilles can be obtained for Spanish medical certificates issued using the official form, with the signature and stamp of the registered doctor. Prior certification is required from the College of Physicians of the Province where the doctor is registered.
Isarey provides document attestation services in Spain to private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide. To find out about certifying Spanish documents for use in the United States and abroad, use our online quotation form or email us a scan or description of the documents you need to certify. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed:
6 steps to certify document issued in Spain
- Our experts will pre-check your documents to ensure that they are eligible for Apostille certification or consular legalization in the country where they are issued, and we’ll assist you locally in preparing them if required.
- We’ll send you a quotation with the total cost of the process (final price including all fees, certified translation when required and courier costs) and an estimation of how long the process will take to complete.
- We’ll arrange a secure courier to collect your original documents (where electronic versions are not sufficient).
- As soon as we receive your documents, we will confirm your order and proceed with the attestation process. Where appropriate, we will arrange certified copies for the attestation process so that we can return your originals directly.
- We return the attested documents to you by secure international courier.
Legalize Spanish Documents
Spanish documents can be legalized for cross-border use by means of Apostille Certification or Consular Legalization
Apostille Certification
An Apostille Stamp is a simplified procedure of international attestation. When affixed to documents, Apostilles are directly recognised by the authorities of over 120 countries (Signatories of the 
Hague Apostille Convention) as certifying the document’s validity, without requiring additional certification.
Since Spain is a signatory to the convention, Isarey can assist by obtaining Apostille Certification for Spanish documents so that they are valid for official use in other signatory countries, including: United States - Italy - Portugal - Greece - Cyprus - France - United Kingdom - Saudi Arabia - Germany - China
Consular Legalization
Countries which do not recognise Apostille certification and require consular legalization include: Qatar - Kuwait - United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Vietnam
Submission within the European Union
Certain Spanish documents do not require Apostilles when they are presented to authorities of other European Union countries (the receiving authority should accept the original or a certified copy).
When applying for certain public documents, a multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a Spanish authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.
See: EU Multilingual standard forms
Spanish documents not requiring Apostilles include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of a Spanish citizen), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191
Other Spanish documents, including academic certificates, still require Apostille certification and certified translation to be valid in other EU countries.
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.
Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
Spanish certificates of no impediment to marriage are exempt from any formality for submission to the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Switzerland, Turkey
Certified Translation
Where Spanish documents are to be used abroad and where the receiving country has a different official language, certified translation may also be required. Isarey takes care of any certified translations required as part of the document attestation process, ensuring that translations are carried out and certified in accordance with local regulations.
Note that a certified translation on its own only provides assurance that the translation itself is accurate and true; it does not confirm the authenticity of the original document. The original document must be legalized for a certified translation to carry equivalent legal weight.
Spain Document Resources
External resources and news about Spanish documents, apostilles and certification procedures.
Spain Document Resources
Birth, Death, Marriage Certificates
Apply online: Official copies of Spanish birth certificates (Certificado de Nacimiento) may be requested online. 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.
Apply by post or in-person: It is also possible to apply for birth certificates through the Civil Registry Office where the birth was registered by post or in person ( appointment (in Spanish) required), including through a Spanish Consulate when the birth was registered at the consulate and the applicant is registered as a resident in the area of the consulate's jurisdiction.
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Spain
Apply online:Official copies of Spanish marriage certificates (Certificado de Matrimonio) 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.
Apply by post or in-person: It is also possible to apply for marriage certificates through the Civil Registry Office where the marriage was registered by post or in person ( appointment (in Spanish) required), including through a Spanish Consulate when the marriage was registered at the consulate and the applicant is registered as a resident in the area of the consulate's jurisdiction.
Apply online:Official copies of Spanish death certificates (Certificado de Defunción) may be requested online. If available, the death certificate can be downloaded immediately with Cl@ve Digital ID or European Digitial ID or sent to your address by mail.
Apply by post or in-person: It is also possible to apply for a death certificate through the Civil Registry Office where the death was registered by post or in person ( appointment (in Spanish) required), including through a Spanish Consulate when the death was registered at the consulate.
The process when a British national dies in Spain including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.
Criminal Record Certificates
Spanish Criminal Record Certificates (Certificado de Antecedentes Penales) can be obtained online ( Cl@ve Digital ID required).
Requests for a Spanish criminal record certificate can be submitted by post or made in person to a Regional Office of the Ministry of Justice or to the Central Office (in Spanish) in Madrid. From abroad, applications can also be submitted in person at a Spanish Consulate
Notary Services
A Last Will and Testament Certificate (Certificado de Actos de Última Voluntad) can be obtained online with Cl@ve Digital ID or by applying to the Central Office (in Spanish) (in-person and by post) or a Regional Office (in-person) of the Ministry of Justice. The Last Will and Testament Certificate confirms whether a deceased person has made a will and indicates the notary where any will is registered so that a copy of the will may be obtained.
A Death Insurance Certificate (in Spanish) can also be obtained to confirm whether a deceased person has life insurance coverage.
Document verification
Spain Document News
The above links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; Isarey bears no responsibility for the accuracy, content or policies of external websites.
Get a Quotation for your Documents
We price each certification process individually, depending on the type and quantity of documents to be attested, the country of issue, the country of use and intended purpose, urgency, whether certified translations are required as part of the process and courier costs.
To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:
If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.
Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files (PDF, Office Documents, RAR folders) and provide us with the passwords separately.
PERSONAL DATA: If your documents contain personal data belonging to people outside your household, please ensure that you are authorised to share this data before uploading your documents. If your documents contain sensitive personal data, such as biometric data, medical data or data on criminal convictions, please ensure that you indicate this when prompted, upon submitting your documents. For further information on our processing of personal data contained in uploaded documents, please see:
Privacy Policy (Customer Inquiries)
For further information on confidentiality in our handling of document content please see:
Confidentiality (Client Content)