Documents, appointments, translations, and apostilles
Helps you prepare usable documents and get through appointments.
Make documents usable and get through Spanish offices: gathering documents, apostilles, sworn translation, notaries and powers of attorney, cita previa, online filing and electronic notices, paperwork help and fixing…
- topics
- 11
- articles
- 74
- of reading
- 7.6 hours
Begin with
Planning your documents for Spain
You will know exactly which documents to collect, whether each needs an apostille or sworn translation, and how to sequence the work so nothing expires before filing day.
Which documents to gather before you leave for Spain · How old can your paperwork be for Spanish offices? · Does this document need an apostille, a translation, or both?
More in documents, appointments, translations, and apostilles
10 more topics in this section, about 7.6 hours of reading in all.
Getting key documents from home
You will know how to order the right version of key home-country documents and what to do when one is lost or cannot be issued.
Getting a police certificate that Spain will accept · Which version of your birth or marriage certificate to order · Replacing a lost or stolen document before or after arrival
Apostilles and legalisation
You will know which route applies to your documents, where to get it, and what to do when a Spanish office refuses it.
What an apostille is and when Spain requires one · Where to get an apostille in your home country · Apostille routes for US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Latin American documents
Sworn translations
You will know whether you need a sworn translation, who may make it, what it costs and in what order to do it.
When Spain requires a sworn translation · Finding an official sworn translator (traductor jurado) · What a sworn translation costs and how long it takes
Notaries and powers of attorney
You will know when you need a notary, what it costs, how to give someone power to act for you and how to control it.
What a Spanish notary (notario) does and when you need one · What a Spanish notary actually costs · Getting certified copies of your documents in Spain
Booking appointments (cita previa)
You will know how to find the right office, secure an appointment, arrive prepared and protect yourself when slots run out.
Finding the right office and procedure for your cita previa · How cita previa works and what to do when no slots appear · Booking cita previa for your whole family
Filing online and from abroad
You will know which channel to file through, how to submit and prove it, and what to do when the technology fails.
How Spain's online offices (sede electrónica) work · Submitting an online filing and keeping your receipt · Fixing AutoFirma, browser and certificate problems
Official notices and deadlines
You will know how notices reach you, how to avoid missing them and how to read deadlines.
How electronic notifications (DEHú) work and whether you must use them · What happens if you miss an electronic notice · Receiving paper notices from Spanish authorities (notificación por Correos)
Fixing rejected filings
You will know what a notice means, how to respond, and how to fix or avoid rejection.
What the terms in a Spanish administrative notice mean · Responding to a correction request (requerimiento de subsanación) · The most common reasons Spanish offices reject a filing
Choosing paperwork help
You will know whether to hire help, whom, how to vet them and how to authorise them safely.
Choosing between a paperwork agent (gestor), a lawyer and an adviser · How to vet a paperwork agent (gestor) or lawyer before hiring · What paperwork help costs and what the fee includes
Civil registry and certificates
You will know how the civil registry works and how to register events and obtain certificates.
How the Spanish civil registry (Registro Civil) works · Registering a foreign marriage or birth in Spain · Registering your child's birth in Spain
Other sections in Moving, documents, and setup
Identity numbers and local registration
Helps you get the identity numbers and registrations everything else needs.
Belongings, shipping, and pets
Helps you move belongings and pets to Spain and keep pets legal.
Utilities, phone, internet, and services
Helps you get utilities, phone and internet working and keep bills under control.
Driving, vehicles, and transport
Helps you drive and get around legally in Spain.
First month operational setup
Helps you sequence the move from leaving home to an operational first month.
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.