Corporate documents sworn translation in Spain: NIF, notary, registry

Your client may be a foreign parent company setting up here, or a director who now lives in Spain.

Built for corporate firms opening subsidiaries and branches, legal departments appointing directors, and tax advisers filing NIF applications. Account terms for every practice are on our sworn translation for law firms in Spain page; individuals can see all sworn translation services.

Form fields: firm or company name · NIF/VAT number · matter or PO reference · documents (upload) · where they will be filed (notary, AEAT, Registro Mercantil, bank) · signing or filing date · contact email

We are not affiliated with the AEAT, any Registro Mercantil or any notary. We translate; we do not advise on the law.

Which company documents need a sworn translation in Spain?

Company documents need a translation when they are filed: with a notary, the AEAT, the Registro Mercantil or another Spanish authority. Typical files are the certificate of incorporation, articles, register extract, resolutions and powers of attorney. Documents read only inside your team usually need no sworn translation.

What corporate matters file, and where

Spanish notarial deeds are already in Spanish. A traducción jurada of escrituras arises when the deed was executed abroad. It covers every stamp and the apostille.

What does a foreign company need to get a Spanish NIF?

A foreign company applies for a Spanish NIF with form 036, plus its deed of incorporation and articles or an equivalent document. The AEAT states that foreign documents must be translated into Spanish and authenticated by an apostille or diplomatic legalisation. Both steps come before filing.

The AEAT says: "Deberán estar traducidos al castellano … mediante apostilla de la Haya." It names no translator type. A sworn translation has official status (RD 724/2020), so it is the safe route.

Which papers does the NIF application need translated?

The documents to get a NIF for a foreign company are the incorporation deed or certificate, the current articles and any representative's power. Each is translated with its apostille: apostille before or after translation.

What documents does the Registro Mercantil ask for to open a branch?

For a branch (sucursal) of a foreign company, article 300 of the Reglamento del Registro Mercantil asks for proof the company exists. It also asks for its current articles, its directors and the document establishing the branch. All must be duly legalised (art. 5.3), and registrars may require a Spanish translation.

Who translates the documents for a Spanish branch registration?

One translator per language pair handles the branch set, so names match on every page. The resolution establishing the branch is often signed abroad, close to filing, so send the other documents first.

Will a Spanish notary accept a sworn translation of our corporate documents?

Usually, yes, but the notary decides. A sworn translation has official status before Spanish courts and authorities under RD 724/2020. Notaries who know the language may translate themselves (Reglamento Notarial art. 150). Registrars who know it may skip translation (Reglamento Hipotecario art. 37). Ask the notary early.

MAEC says sworn translations "tendrán carácter oficial". A sworn translation for a Spanish notary's company file avoids debate at signing. In Spain, when an office asks for an official or "certified" translation, it means a sworn translation (traducción jurada) by a MAEC-appointed translator. A certified translation made outside Spain, for example by a UK or US translator, is not a sworn translation. Most Spanish offices won't accept it.

How is a power of attorney translated for company formation?

A power granted abroad needs an apostille (or legalisation) and an official translation. The Spanish notary records that the powers are sufficient (Ley 24/2001 art. 98). Registration also needs an authority with equivalent functions (Ley 29/2015 art. 60). In a resolution of 14 September 2016, the DGRN refused a UK notary-public power because equivalence was not expressly assessed. Ask the notary who will use it to review the draft before signing. Document detail: power of attorney translation into Spanish.

Do due-diligence documents need a sworn translation?

Usually not. A sworn translation is needed only for documents filed with a court, registry, notary or authority. Contracts, data-room files and board packs read inside your team or by your client do not need one. We handle the documents that will be filed.

Whether we translate internal documents: see the FAQ below. If a contract later becomes evidence, see court documents sworn translation.

How do corporate teams plan a translation pack around a notary signing date?

Work back from the signing date and send the full stack early, even before every apostille is on. We confirm the pages, a fixed price and a delivery date. Each document is translated once its apostille arrives, and drafts go to you for client sign-off.

1. Matter set-up. One contact, and one translator per language pair coordinated into one delivery; names and defined terms are agreed once.
2. Drafts. Your client checks names, dates and figures before the seal.
3. Delivery. Digitally signed PDF, with paper by courier if the notary prefers (can a sworn translation be digital).
4. Late changes. A resolution signed that week goes through our urgent sworn translation service.

Directors moving to Spain: Spain work visa sworn translation, Extranjería sworn translation. Their papers: degree certificate sworn translation, bank statement sworn translation. Whole teams: sworn translation for relocation companies.

How are foreign company documents apostilled for Spain?

Apostille first, then translate. Where the issuing country is a Convention party, its competent authority adds an apostille. Other countries use diplomatic legalisation instead. We translate the document and its apostille together, so check your client's route before ordering.

Most are in English: English to Spanish sworn translation. French documents: French to Spanish sworn translation. Apostille arranged too: apostille and sworn translation.

Typical corporate matters and what each one needs

The service runs online across Spain, so you need no local sworn translator in Madrid, Barcelona or Bilbao. A digitally signed PDF is valid wherever the notary or registry accepts electronic documents; paper goes by courier when a notary prefers it. These are the most common corporate matters that need sworn translations.

How is confidential deal and company information protected?

Deal documents often hold directors' personal data. GDPR article 28 requires a contract when a processor handles it for you. We sign a data processing agreement (encargo de tratamiento) with your firm. If you need an NDA, raise it in your quote request before any upload. Send files through our website quote form, by email to info@spainsworntranslators.com or on WhatsApp (+44 7482 545337).

Before you send a closing set: four checks

A Delaware certificate or a Companies House extract that arrives late can move a signing date. Four checks before you send the set:

• The translator is real. Each translator we use is appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and works with their own official seal. Check any seal on the official MAEC list: how to verify a sworn translator in Spain.
• A registry objects to the form. Free, prioritised re-issue if rejected on formal grounds, under our re-issue policy.
• Data. Files are deleted within 7 days of delivery, as our privacy policy sets out.
• Signing date close. Give the date in the form; we confirm delivery before you pay.

How much does a corporate documents sworn translation cost?

You get one fixed total per matter before work starts. It covers every document and apostille page in the set. Sworn translators set fees freely, as there is no official tariff. 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. Volume discounts for firms run from 10% to 20%, as set out below.

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. Document rates: sworn translation prices.

Account terms for business clients

• Volume discounts: 10% for 5–19 documents a month, 15% for 20–49, and 20% for 50 or more.
• Monthly invoicing: available for registered businesses after the first 3 paid orders. The invoice is issued on the 1st of each month, due within 15 days.
• Account manager: a dedicated account manager for 20 or more documents a month.
• Data processing agreement: we sign one (encargo de tratamiento) with your organisation.
• Invoices: every order gets one, with your company name and tax number (NIF or VAT number). Prices include VAT where it applies; business invoices show the VAT treatment, for example reverse charge for EU businesses.
• Non-sworn translation: also available into Spanish, for documents that do not need a sworn translation, such as internal or reference copies.
• What we do not offer: we translate into Spanish only, with no Spanish-to-English translation, and we do not provide sworn interpreters.

Sources: AEAT: NIF for legal entities · MAEC: sworn translation · GDPR article 28 · Ley 29/2015 · Reglamento Notarial, art. 150 · Reglamento del Registro Mercantil, arts. 5.3 and 300 · Reglamento Hipotecario, art. 37 · Ley 24/2001, art. 98 · DGRN resolution of 14 September 2016, as analysed by Gómez-Acebo & Pombo. Last checked: 1 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do we start a corporate translation pack for your matter?

Upload the company documents, including every apostille, with the matter reference and the notary signing or filing date. Originals are never needed; clear scans are enough. Before you pay, you receive a fixed total and delivery date.

WhatsApp: +44 7482 545337. We only translate. We never sell appointments.