Spain Documents FAQ

Spain's long-stay visa (non-lucrative, golden, digital nomad) typically requires: valid passport, criminal record certificate with apostille, medical certificate or health insurance, proof of sufficient income, and completed application forms. Documents from abroad must be apostilled and translated into Spanish.

Yes. Spain is a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. All foreign public documents used for Spanish visa, residency, or legal proceedings must carry a Hague Apostille from the issuing country. No additional consular legalization is needed.

The 2026 extraordinary regularization (regularización extraordinaria) is a Spanish government program offering a path to legal residency for undocumented immigrants who have been residing in Spain. Requirements include proof of residence, employment or social integration, and criminal record certificates with apostille from every country of residence for the past 5 years.

You need a criminal record certificate from every country where you have resided for any period in the past 5 years. Each certificate must be apostilled by the competent authority of the issuing country and certified-translated into Spanish.

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.

Most Spanish consulates and immigration offices require criminal record certificates issued within the last 3–6 months of your application date. Check with your specific consulate — some require 90 days, others accept 6 months.

Yes. Spain requires a certified translation (traducción jurada) by a sworn translator officially appointed by Spanish authorities. Standard certified translations from non-sworn translators are generally not accepted. 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. Spanish immigration authorities require translations by officially appointed sworn translators. Personal translations — regardless of the translator's language skills — are not accepted.

Family reunification in Spain typically requires: birth certificates (apostilled), marriage certificate if applicable (apostilled), criminal record certificates from all countries of recent residence (apostilled), proof of relationship, and the sponsoring resident's documents. All foreign documents need apostille and sworn translation.

Non-lucrative visa: 1–3 months from complete application submission at Spanish consulate. Residency permit in Spain: 1–3 months. Regularization 2026: timeline varies — the program is new. 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 require apostilled documents.

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.

Yes. Spain accepts apostilles from all 125+ Hague Convention member countries. An apostille from the US, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador — or any other member — is valid for Spanish authorities.

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 accepted by Spain (3–6 months), 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.

For the non-lucrative visa, Spain typically requires a criminal record certificate covering the past 5 years of your residence. If you lived in multiple countries during that period, you may need certificates from each.

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.

Spain's golden visa (Visado de Inversor) is a residency-by-investment program for non-EU nationals who invest at least €500,000 in real estate or meet other investment thresholds. It requires apostilled criminal record certificates and other standard documentation.

No. Spain's non-lucrative visa does not permit work. For work authorization, you need a work permit or an investor/entrepreneur visa. 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.