Arraigo sworn translation (traducción jurada para arraigo)

A typical file, with two countries' records and a birth certificate, is quoted as one fixed total. We reply the same working day.

We are not affiliated with any Oficina de Extranjería, police station or ministry. We are not a gestoría or law firm, and we give no legal advice.

Which arraigo types need a foreign criminal record? (antecedentes penales para arraigo)

All five arraigo types under RD 1155/2024 require no criminal record in Spain or your countries of residence over the last 5 years. Hojas 28 (arraigo social) and 31 (arraigo familiar) state it in those words. Each foreign certificate needs an apostille or legalisation, then a sworn translation.

The five types are segunda oportunidad, sociolaboral, social, socioformativo (formerly arraigo para la formación) and familiar. The first four each need 2 years' continuous stay in Spain. Arraigo familiar has no minimum stay.

Social arraigo without family ties still needs an informe de esfuerzo de integración, a Spanish document that needs no translation.

Does arraigo sociolaboral need a criminal record from home?

Yes. Under RD 1155/2024, arraigo sociolaboral follows the same rule as the other types. You need no criminal record in Spain or in your countries of residence over the last 5 years. You prove it with a certificate from each of those countries, apostilled or legalised, then sworn-translated. Check the current Hoja for any change before you order.

How far back do arraigo criminal records go?

Arraigo looks back 5 years. You need a criminal record certificate from each country you lived in during that period, and no criminal record in Spain. Each foreign certificate must be apostilled or legalised, then translated by a MAEC sworn translator, together with its apostille.

Validity is set by each office, commonly 3 to 6 months; your Hoja or the office's checklist states the limit. Order each certificate early enough to arrive, but late enough to stay valid.

Arraigo criminal records by country (certificados de antecedentes penales por país)

Moroccan and Senegalese certificates may be in French or Arabic: see French to Spanish sworn translation or Arabic to Spanish sworn translation. English-language certificates go through our English to Spanish sworn translation service.

Getting your criminal record while you live in Spain

You are already in Spain, so the certificate has to come to you. Ask your country's consulate in Spain whether it issues or relays criminal records. Otherwise, check your country's official online route, or ask a relative with a power of attorney at home. Once the apostille or legalisation is on, send us a scan. Apostille first, then translate: see why the apostille goes on before the translation.

What changed in arraigo in 2025? (Reglamento de Extranjería, RD 1155/2024)

The new Reglamento, RD 1155/2024, came into force on 20 May 2025 and set the five arraigo types above. Document lists written before that date may be out of date. For social arraigo, the documents needed (documentos necesarios) are those in the current Hoja 28.

Family members of Spanish nationals no longer use arraigo familiar. They now file EX-24; see our Extranjería sworn translation page.

The 2026 extraordinary regularisation was a separate route: arraigo extraordinario, Hoja 28 ter, under RD 316/2026 of 14 April 2026. It received 1,174,978 applications (Ministry of Inclusion, 2 July 2026). Permits last one year, so renewals fall due from 2027. See our 2026 regularisation and renewal translations.

Sources: Hoja informativa, arraigo social · Hoja informativa, arraigo familiar · Hoja informativa 61, translations. Last checked: 1 October 2026.

Which family documents does arraigo familiar need?

Arraigo familiar (Hoja 31) is for the parent or guardian of a minor who is an EU, EEA or Swiss national. It also covers a family member caring for such a national with a disability. The key document is a birth certificate showing the relationship and the minor's nationality.

Documents usually translated for arraigo familiar:

• The child's foreign birth certificate, with its apostille, showing both the parent and the child's nationality.
• Your criminal record certificates from each country you lived in during the last 5 years.
• A marriage certificate, where your office asks for it to show a family link.

Arraigo documents to translate: tick-list

• Criminal record certificate: police clearance certificate sworn translation for arraigo
• Birth certificate: birth certificate sworn translation for arraigo familiar
• Marriage certificate, if requested: marriage certificate sworn translation into Spanish
• Apostille or legalisation on each document: apostille and sworn translation

What the arraigo Hojas accept as a translation (traductor jurado)

The arraigo Hojas ask for translations "por un traductor jurado". Extranjería's Hoja 61 also lists two consulate routes, but each adds a further legalisation step. A sworn translation of your criminal record (traducción jurada de antecedentes penales para arraigo) is official in Spain without further legalisation.

Checks on your arraigo translations before delivery

• The apostille or legalisation is present and translated with each certificate.
• Every name matches your passport. Where spellings differ, the translator adds a note.
• Every page, including the back and stamps, is translated and sealed.
• The issue date is recent enough for your appointment date.

Arraigo translation package price

As an indicative market range, sworn translations in Spain cost about €30–120 a page. That is roughly €30–80 for the first page and €15–40 for later pages (Cronoshare, January 2026). This is a market range, not our price.

See how much a sworn translation costs for every document, or get a fixed quote for your arraigo criminal records.

Prices above are for common languages (English, French, Italian, Portuguese, German). Arabic, Russian, Ukrainian and Romanian start from €39 per certificate. Chinese, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali and other rare languages start from €49.

Turnaround in common languages: 1 page in 24–48 hours, 2–5 pages in 2–3 working days, 6–10 pages in 3–5 working days. Rare languages take 3–4 working days for 1–2 pages.

Need it sooner? 24-hour delivery adds 30% to the order price. Same-day delivery adds 60%, minimum €25 extra. It covers 1–2 page documents in common languages. Order and pay by 12:00 Spanish time (CET/CEST) on a working day, and we deliver by 20:00.

These are starting prices. For your final price, send your details through the quote form. We email you a written quotation, and work starts only after you approve it.

Before you send us your arraigo file

An arraigo file often rests on a criminal record that took weeks to get from home. Check these points first:

• Is the translator real? Yes. We work only with Traductores-Intérpretes Jurados appointed by the MAEC, each with their own official seal. Check any seal in the official MAEC search (Buscador-STIJ); our guide explains how to verify a Spanish sworn translator.
• What if the office rejects it? Free, prioritised re-issue if rejected on formal grounds, for example a fiche anthropométrique translated without its apostille, under our re-issue policy.
• Is my data safe? Files are deleted within 7 days of delivery, as set out in our privacy policy.
• Appointment soon? See our urgent sworn translation service.
• Someone selling arraigo appointments or promising a result? Be careful. Citas are booked through the official channel.

For immigration lawyers and gestorías: we deliver arraigo translations straight to your office. See sworn translation for immigration lawyers and our service for law firms and gestorías.

More help for residents in Spain

• Received a correction notice? You have 10 working days: see requerimiento Extranjería translation.
• Bringing family to Spain? See family reunification translations.
• Other offices and procedures: all sworn translation services by procedure.

Frequently asked questions

Send your arraigo documents for a quote

Send a scan or photo of every page, including the apostille. Originals are never needed. You see a fixed total price and delivery date before you pay.

We only translate. We never sell appointments.