Applying for nursery with foreign income and tax records

Key rules

• Local practice: Which foreign documents count is set by each region's call, so confirm with the nursery or education office before you order anything.
• No income shown: If you show no income, you are often given the lowest income band or no income points.
• Vida laboral: The vida laboral report only covers work in Spain, so foreign work needs its own documents.
• Apostille: Apostilles are for foreign public documents, not private ones like employer letters.

Accepted foreign documents, translation rules and apostille requirements vary by region and nursery, so confirm them with your regional education office or the nursery before acting.

Foreign papers can often replace Spanish ones

If you have not filed taxes or worked in Spain, you can usually still apply. Foreign tax records, employer papers and bank statements can often stand in for the Spanish ones, as long as they are clearly evidenced and translated. What is accepted is decided locally, by each region's call and sometimes by the nursery. Ask first which documents your call accepts. The checklist below lists the steps.

Income

Spanish nurseries normally score income from the Spanish tax return. The education office checks it with the tax agency (AEAT), and you give your consent on the form. Lower income earns more points.

If you did not file in Spain, you can usually offer one of these instead:

• foreign tax returns or tax assessments
• employer pay slips or an employer certificate of earnings
• a bank statement showing your earnings

Some regions also ask for an official translation. Some accept a sworn statement (declaración responsable) if you cannot get the income data.

If you show no income at all, you are often given the lowest income band or no income points. Showing foreign income is worth the effort only if your region accepts it, so check before you collect everything.

Work

Parents working abroad usually earn the employment points with an employment contract or an employer certificate. The certificate should state your job, hours and start date. Add recent pay slips.

If you are self-employed, proof of registration with the foreign tax or business authority is the usual evidence.

The vida laboral report only covers work in Spain, so it will not show a foreign job. Some centres accept a sworn statement together with the employer certificate.

Translations and apostilles

Documents not in Spanish, or in the region's own language, generally need a translation. A simple translation may be accepted, but a sworn translation (traductor jurado) is the safe choice. Ask the nursery or regional education office which they accept.

Foreign public documents, such as birth or marriage certificates and custody rulings, usually need an apostille or consular legalisation. Exemptions exist, including EU multilingual standard forms and the international family-status forms. Documents in the region's language and many EU documents are often exempt too.

Private documents, such as employer letters, do not get an apostille, but they may need a translation.

Many centres are flexible at the application stage and ask for the full formalities only at enrolment. Do not assume yours is, though. Ask before the deadline.

Do it in this order

1. Ask the nursery or regional education office what your call accepts for income and work.
2. Collect the foreign documents.
3. Order translations and any apostilles, which take time.
4. Submit with everything you can show, and ask what to do about any gap.

The documents list below shows the full set for the application.

Documents for a nursery application

• The application form (solicitud) from your regional or town nursery call, filled in for your child.

• Your ID and your partner's ID (NIE or passport if you have no DNI), plus your child's passport or birth certificate.

• The family book (libro de familia) or an equivalent document. If you have no family book, your child's foreign birth certificate shows the family link.

• A recent padrón certificate (proof of registration at your town hall) for your child or parents, or your consent for the administration to check it. If you are not registered, a rental contract, property deed or workplace address can show your address or work proximity. Register early, since some municipal nurseries give priority to residents.

• Proof of work or study for each parent: an employment contract, an employer certificate, a social security working-life report (vida laboral) or self-employed registration. If you work for a foreign employer, use a contract or employer letter.

• Income proof. In Spain this is normally your tax return, checked by the tax agency (AEAT) with your consent. If you did not file in Spain, use foreign tax returns or assessments, employer pay slips or an employer earnings certificate, or a bank statement showing earnings. Some regions want an official translation or a sworn statement (declaración responsable) if the data cannot be obtained. With no income shown, you may be placed in the lowest income band.

• Your child's vaccination record (cartilla de vacunación) or health card. A foreign vaccination booklet is generally accepted, and the local health centre can update your child's record to the Spanish schedule. Translation is not usually needed, but some centres ask for it, and some regions also ask for a health certificate.

• Papers that earn extra points, if they apply to you: large-family card, single-parent proof, disability certificate, proof of a sibling already enrolled, or proof of social risk or violence-victim status.

Checklist

• Ask the nursery or regional education office which foreign income and employment documents your region's call accepts.

• Give consent for the education administration to query the tax agency (AEAT), if you filed a Spanish return.

• Gather foreign tax returns or assessments, employer pay slips or a bank statement of earnings if you did not file in Spain.

• Get an employer certificate stating your job, hours and start date, with recent pay slips, for each parent working abroad.

• Order a sworn translation (traductor jurado) of documents not in Spanish or the regional language.

• Get an apostille on foreign public documents, but not on private ones such as employer letters, unless an exemption applies.

• Ask whether a sworn statement (declaración responsable) is accepted if you cannot obtain some income data.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I have no income to show in Spain?

If you have no Spanish tax data, you usually show income with foreign tax returns, employer pay slips or a bank statement of earnings. Where no income is shown, families are often given the lowest income band, so you may get no income points.

Does the vida laboral report count as proof of my foreign job?

No, the vida laboral report only covers work done in Spain, so it cannot prove a job abroad. Use an employer certificate or contract, plus recent pay slips.

Do I need an apostille for my employer's letter?

No, private documents such as employer letters are not apostilled, but they may need a Spanish translation. Public documents like birth certificates usually need an apostille unless an exemption applies.

Is a simple translation enough for a nursery application?

A simple translation may be accepted, but a sworn translation (traductor jurado) is the safe route. Documents already in Spanish or the regional language need no translation.