Getting a police certificate that Spain will accept

Key rules

• 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.
• Age: Issue date must be no more than three months before you submit, counted from issue, not apostille.

What to order

Order the national-level criminal record certificate (certificado de antecedentes penales) from your country's central authority. It must cover the whole country and your full record. A local police letter will not do.

If your country issues only one type of document, ask the Spanish consulate whether it accepts that one before you pay for it.

Which countries you need it from

You need 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. The certificate is asked for from adults, so you need one if you are 18 or older.

Nationality by residence is different. Spain asks only for the certificate from your country of nationality, with no five-year check of other countries.

When you need one

Most residence procedures ask for one. These include:

• Work and self-employment permits, including highly qualified and digital nomad permits.
• Non-lucrative residence.
• Investor and entrepreneur permits.
• Family reunification.
• Arraigo and other exceptional-circumstances permits.
• Long-term residence.

Some short-term study and visit permits do not need one. EU citizens registering in Spain generally do not need one. Check the requirements list for your permit to see whether it asks for one and which countries it names.

How recent it must be

The certificate should be issued no more than three months before you submit your application. The three months count from the issue date, not the apostille date. Some offices look at the date of the original certificate, so order close to your filing date. Confirm the reference date with the consulate or office handling your case.

Where to order it

Authorities change, so check the government website before you order. These are the usual issuers:

• UK: ACRO Criminal Records Office for England and Wales. Police Scotland and others cover their own areas.
• US: the FBI Identity History Summary, or an approved channeler.
• Canada: the RCMP, through accredited fingerprint agencies.
• Ireland: the Garda Síochána police certificate office.
• Germany: the Bundesamt für Justiz (Führungszeugnis).
• France: the Casier judiciaire national in Nantes.
• Mexico: Fiscalía General de la República.
• Argentina: Registro Nacional de Reincidencia.
• Colombia: Policía Nacional (antecedentes judiciales).
• Chile: Registro Civil.
• Peru: Poder Judicial or Policía Nacional.
• Brazil: Polícia Federal.

Apostille and translation

The apostille, the sworn translation and the order of the steps are in the step-by-step guide below. What the certificate must show is in the document list below.

If you are not sure which countries to list, use the checklist below.

From request to apostilled police certificate, step by step

• Request the national criminal record certificate from the central authority in your home country: first, at least several weeks before you plan to apply

• Wait for the original to be issued; in the UK the ACRO certificate takes days to a few weeks, the US FBI check days to several weeks, Germany and France one to three weeks: days to several weeks after you request it; Latin American countries range from immediate online issue to several weeks

• Get the original apostilled by the competent authority in the country that issued it; if your country is not in the Hague Convention, have it legalised through the Spanish consulate instead: right after the certificate is issued; usually a few days to a few weeks

• Have the apostilled certificate translated into Spanish by a sworn translator (traductor jurado), if it is not already in Spanish: last, after the apostille, so the translator can also translate the apostille

• Submit your application with the apostilled and translated certificate: within three months of the certificate's issue date

What a foreign police certificate must show

• Cover for the whole country and your full criminal record, showing either a clear record or any convictions

• The name of the issuing authority, with a signature or official authentication

• Your full name, date and place of birth, nationality and passport or ID number

• The apostille, or consular legalisation if your country is not in the Hague Convention

• A Spanish translation by a sworn translator, if the certificate is in another language

Checklist

• Check your permit's requirements list to confirm it asks for a foreign police certificate and which countries it covers.

• List your country of origin and every country where you lived during the previous five years, leaving out countries you only visited.

• Confirm you are 18 or older, since the certificate is asked for from adult applicants.

• Find the central authority in each country that issues the national criminal record certificate, such as ACRO for England and Wales, the FBI for the US, the RCMP for Canada, or the Bundesamt für Justiz for Germany.

• Order the national-level certificate covering the whole country, not a local police letter.

• Check the issue date on each certificate against your filing date, counting from the issue date and not the apostille date.

Quick answers on police and civil certificates

Do I need a police certificate from countries I only visited?

No, countries you only visited or passed through do not need a police certificate. You need one from your country of origin and from each country where you lived during the previous five years. If you stayed somewhere for a short time, ask the office handling your case whether it counts as living there.

Can a relative order my police certificate for me?

Yes, in many countries a relative or representative can order it for you, usually with your signed authorisation or a power of attorney and copies of both IDs. Some countries want you to apply yourself, for example the UK ACRO certificate. Some also ask for a notarised or apostilled power of attorney. Birth and marriage certificates are often released to relatives.

Is there a maximum age for an old birth certificate?

There is no fixed maximum age for a birth certificate, but Spanish offices often ask for one issued within the last three to six months. This is so it shows any later changes to the record. Some procedures, such as nationality or marriage registration, set their own limit.