Skipping the apostille with EU documents and multilingual forms

Key rules

• Listed EU documents: Birth, marriage, residence and similar public documents from another EU country need no apostille in Spain.
• Multilingual form: The form is optional, comes from the issuing authority and only helps with translation.
• Other EU documents: Diplomas, medical certificates, tax records and notarised private documents generally still need an apostille.
• Criminal record: Ask the receiving Spanish office whether it accepts your certificate without an apostille.

Most common EU civil documents need no apostille

If a public document was issued in another EU country and you will use it in Spain, you can usually skip the apostille and any other legalisation. This has applied since 16 February 2019.

It covers documents that establish:

• birth, death or name
• marriage, including capacity to marry and marital status
• registered partnership
• parenthood or adoption
• domicile or residence
• nationality
• real property
• the legal status and representation of a company
• intellectual property rights
• absence of a criminal record

Certified copies of these documents are covered too, as far as formalities go.

The multilingual form can save you a translation

For some document types, such as birth, death, marriage and registered partnership, the issuing authority can give you a multilingual standard form. You attach it to your document. The Spanish office must accept it as a translation aid.

Ask for the form from the same authority that issued your document. It is optional, and it only helps with translation. It has no other legal effect.

You may still need a translation in these cases:

• No form exists for your document type.
• The form does not cover all the information in your document.
• The Spanish office has doubts and asks for one.

Spain can also check that a document is genuine if it has doubts. So ask the Spanish office before you pay for a translation, and ask whether the form is enough.

EU documents that still need an apostille

A document from an EU country that is not on the list above generally needs an apostille. Examples:

• academic diplomas and school transcripts
• medical certificates
• tax records
• employment contracts
• private documents signed before a notary
• powers of attorney not issued by a public authority
• court judgments and administrative records that fall outside the list

Check with the Spanish office whether your document is on the list or not.

Criminal record certificates

The exemption covers certificates of absence of a criminal record, but only the specific certificate the rules list. Spanish offices do not all treat these the same way. Ask the office that will receive yours whether it accepts the certificate without an apostille. If it does not, get the apostille.

The checklist and the questions below go through these steps.

Documents you need

• EU public document of a listed type (birth, death, name, marriage, partnership, parenthood, adoption, residence, nationality, property, company status or absence of a criminal record), issued by an EU country, with no apostille

• Multilingual standard form issued by the same authority as your document, attached to it, to use as a translation aid for birth, death, marriage or partnership documents

• Translation of the document into Spanish, needed when no form exists for your document type or the form does not cover everything in it

• Apostille on any EU document outside the list, such as diplomas, medical certificates, tax records or notarised private documents

Checklist

• Check that your document is one of the listed types, such as birth, marriage, residence or absence of a criminal record, and was issued by an EU country.

• Skip the apostille for documents of those types.

• Ask the issuing authority for a multilingual standard form to attach to the document.

• Confirm with the Spanish office that the form is enough and that no translation is needed.

• Get an apostille for any EU document outside the list, such as diplomas, medical certificates or tax records.

Frequently asked questions

Does a EU criminal record certificate need an apostille for Spain?

Only the specific certificate of absence of a criminal record listed in the EU rules is exempt from the apostille, and Spanish offices do not all treat it the same way. Ask the Spanish office that will receive it before you pay for an apostille you may not need.

Which EU documents still need an apostille for Spain?

Documents outside the EU list still need an apostille where the Hague Convention applies between the countries. These include academic diplomas, school transcripts, medical certificates, tax records, employment contracts and private documents signed before a notary. Powers of attorney and court judgments are also usually outside the list.

Can a multilingual form replace a translation?

Yes, a multilingual form replaces a translation only when the form covers all the information in your document. If it leaves anything out, the Spanish office can still ask for a translation of the document itself.