Translate before or after the apostille?

Key rules

• Order: Apostille first in the issuing country, then translate the document and apostille together.
• Translator: Use a sworn translator appointed in Spain where possible, because many offices ask for one.
• Translations from abroad: Acceptance depends on the receiving office, so ask before you pay.
• Exemptions: Some treaties and EU rules exempt certain documents, so check before ordering.

Apostille first, translation second

Get the apostille on a foreign public document in the country that issued it, then have the document and the apostille translated together. Do not translate first. A translation of the document alone, without the apostille, is often rejected.

What the translator must cover

Use a sworn translator, a "traductor-intérprete jurado". The translation must include the apostille: its text, stamps and signatures. The translator usually binds the translation to the document or to a copy of it.

The checklist below shows how to inspect the finished translation before you submit it.

Does your country need an apostille?

• If your country is in the Hague Convention, the apostille is all you need.
• If it is not, the document may need legalisation by a Spanish consulate.
• Some treaties and EU rules exempt certain documents. EU multilingual standard forms can also reduce the need for translation.

If one of these exemptions might cover your document, ask the receiving office before you order anything.

Translators based in Spain or abroad

Choose a translator appointed in Spain where you can. Many offices ask for exactly that.

A sworn translator appointed by Spain's foreign ministry does not have to live in Spain, but most do. A translation by a foreign sworn translator is accepted if the document is apostilled or legalised, or if an international convention covers it. Spanish consulates abroad may translate or validate documents themselves, where an official or sworn translator is available.

Practice varies from office to office. Before you pay for a translation made abroad or at a consulate, ask the office that will receive it whether it accepts it. Get the answer in writing if you can.

Do it in this order

1. Ask the receiving office what it needs and whether it takes translations made abroad.
2. Get the apostille (or legalisation) in the issuing country.
3. Send the apostilled document to a sworn translator.
4. Check the translation, then submit it.

Documents you need

• Your foreign public document, apostilled (or legalised) in the country that issued it. Documents from non-members of the Hague Convention may need consular legalisation instead.

• A sworn translation of the document and its apostille together, including the apostille's text, stamps and signatures, usually bound with the document or a copy of it. Translating the document alone is often rejected.

• A letter or email from the receiving office confirming it accepts a translation made abroad or by a consulate, if you do not use a translator appointed in Spain.

Check a sworn translation before you submit it

• Compare every name with your passport, letter by letter, and make sure one spelling is used in all your filings.

• Check that names from a non-Latin alphabet are transliterated the way your passport shows them.

• Read every date and make sure it is written in a clear format that cannot be mixed up, such as day, month name, year.

• Look for stamps, seals, marginal notes, handwriting and letterheads from the original in the translation, with illegible parts marked as such.

• Confirm the apostille is translated too, with its text, stamps and signatures, and bound together with the document or a copy of it.

• Check that the translator signed and sealed each page, or the last page with the pages joined.

• Check the seal shows the translator's name, the title Traductor/a-Intérprete Jurado/a for the language, and the appointment number.

• Look for the statement that the translation is faithful and complete, with the place and date.

• If an office sends a request to correct (requerimiento de subsanación), contact the translator at once and tell them exactly what the office objected to.

• Send the corrected translation through the same channel within 10 working days, or the period on the notice, and keep proof of filing.

• If the deadline is close, ask the office for an extension (ampliación de plazo) or use a different translator.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a sworn translator who lives outside Spain?

Yes, a sworn translator appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not have to be based in Spain, but many offices still ask for one appointed in Spain.

Will a Spanish consulate translate my document for me?

Sometimes, because Spanish consulates abroad may translate or validate documents themselves where a consular official or sworn translator is available. Practice varies by consulate and by the office that receives the file. Ask the receiving office whether it accepts a consular translation.

Do documents from Hague Convention countries need anything besides the apostille?

No, documents from Hague Convention countries need only the apostille for legalisation, though you still need the translation. Documents from countries outside the convention may need consular legalisation instead.