Getting key documents from home

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. Start early, because the home-country offices set the pace, not you.

Start with "Getting a police certificate that Spain will accept". It is the document most people need first, and the one most often ordered in the wrong form. After that, read "Which version of your birth or marriage certificate to order" so you request the right format the first time.

The other pages cover what to do if a document is lost or stolen, what your embassy or consulate in Spain can do for you, and what to do when the document Spain wants does not exist in your country.

Key rules

• Certificate age: A police certificate should be issued no more than three months before you submit your application, counted from the issue date, not the apostille date.
• Look-back period: Most residence procedures ask for a certificate from your country of origin and from every country where you lived during the previous five years; countries you only visited do not count.
• Type: Order the national certificate covering the whole country, not a local police letter.
• Countries: You need one from your country of origin and every country where you lived in the previous five years.
• Birth certificate: Order the full (literal) birth certificate showing your parents' names, not a short extract.
• Marriage certificate: Order the full marriage certificate from the civil registry where the marriage was registered.

Getting key documents from home: the whole process, step by step

• Work out which documents your procedure needs, then order the national police certificate and the full birth certificate (see Getting a police certificate that Spain will accept, and Which version of your birth or marriage certificate to order): before you start

• Time the police certificate so it is issued no more than three months before you submit your application: no more than three months before you submit

• Legalise or apostille and translate the documents (see What your embassy or consulate in Spain can do for your paperwork): after the documents are issued and before you submit

• Report a lost or stolen passport to the local police, then to your embassy or consulate (see Replacing a lost or stolen document before or after arrival): straight away; an emergency travel document can take 1 to 5 working days and a full replacement from a few days to several weeks

• If Spain wants a document that does not exist in your country, look for an accepted substitute (see When the document Spain wants does not exist in your country): as soon as you know it cannot be issued

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Passport or emergency travel document — Replacing a lost or stolen document before or after arrival, What your embassy or consulate in Spain can do for your paperwork

Translations and legal papers

• The apostille
• A Spanish translation by a sworn translator
• Translation of the replacement civil certificate — Replacing a lost or stolen document before or after arrival
• A sworn translation of any substitute document that is not in Spanish — When the document Spain wants does not exist in your country

Other documents

• A national-level criminal record certificate — Getting a police certificate that Spain will accept
• Cover for the whole country and your full criminal record — Getting a police certificate that Spain will accept
• Police report — Replacing a lost or stolen document before or after arrival
• New certified copy of a lost birth or marriage certificate — Replacing a lost or stolen document before or after arrival
• A certificate of non-existence — When the document Spain wants does not exist in your country
• Consular certificate — What your embassy or consulate in Spain can do for your paperwork, When the document Spain wants does not exist in your country

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Getting key documents from home: questions that cross several articles

Do I need a police certificate for every residence procedure?

No, most residence procedures need one, but some short-term study and visit permits do not, and EU citizens registering in Spain generally do not. The look-back period and legalisation rules differ by procedure.

Which countries must my police certificate cover?

Most residence procedures ask for a certificate from your country of origin and from every country where you lived during the previous five years. Brief visits do not count. For nationality by residence, only the certificate from your country of nationality is asked for.

Do the police certificate and birth certificate follow the same format rules?

No, they differ: for the police certificate order the national-level record covering the whole country, not a local police letter, while the birth certificate must be the full version showing your parents' names. Both are normally legalised and translated.

Can my embassy in Spain help if my document is lost or hard to get?

Yes, your embassy or consulate in Spain can often issue an emergency travel document or a replacement passport, usually by appointment. For other papers, read What your embassy or consulate in Spain can do for your paperwork and Replacing a lost or stolen document before or after arrival.