Court documents sworn translation in Spain for litigators

Many of your clients live in Spain and bring a judgment, decree or evidence from their home country.

Built for commercial litigators, family-law teams in cross-border divorce and custody cases, and foreign firms with Spanish cases. Account terms for every practice are on our sworn translation for law firms in Spain page; individuals can see all sworn translation services. In arbitration, the tribunal and the agreed rules usually set translation requirements; check them first.

Form fields: firm name · NIF/VAT number · case or matter reference · court and type of proceedings · documents (upload) · filing deadline · email for drafts

We are not affiliated with any court or the Administration of Justice. We translate; we do not advise on the law.

Does a Spanish court require a sworn translation?

Not in civil proceedings. Under LEC article 144, every document not in Spanish must come with a translation, and a private one is allowed. But any other party may challenge it within 5 days as unfaithful. The court then orders an official translation, and costs follow the outcome.

Under LEC article 144, the translation "podrá ser hecha privadamente". After a challenge, the Letrado de la Administración de Justicia orders an official translation, paid by the party who filed. If it is essentially the same as the private one, the challenger pays.

Can a private translation be used in a Spanish court?

Yes, in civil proceedings, but it can be challenged. Filing a sworn translation, which MAEC says has "carácter oficial", lowers that risk. It does not remove it: a sworn translation can be challenged too.

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.

Which court documents usually need a sworn translation?

Typical case files hold foreign judgments, claims served from abroad, and evidence such as contracts, emails, invoices and bank records. Family and succession cases add divorce decrees and death certificates. A power for litigation (poder para pleitos) signed abroad also needs an apostille and a sworn translation.

What gets filed in a typical case

How do you translate an evidence bundle?

Evidence bundles are usually the largest part of a case. One translator per language pair and one shared glossary per case keep names and terms consistent, with your exhibit numbering. Company deal documents: corporate documents sworn translation.

What about criminal proceedings?

Under LECrim article 123, the State translates the accused's essential documents, always including prison orders, the indictment and the judgment. Defence teams order what they file themselves, such as a police clearance certificate sworn translation.

What translations does an exequatur application need?

For a judgment from outside the EU, Ley 29/2015 article 54 asks for the original or an authentic copy, duly legalised or apostilled. It also needs proof of service if given in default, proof it is final or enforceable, and translations under LEC article 144.

A sworn translation for exequatur covers the judgment, its apostille and the service and finality certificates. Under article 52.1, the application goes to the Juzgado de Primera Instancia of the domicile of the party against whom recognition is sought. Source: Ley 29/2015 (BOE).

The 5-day challenge under LEC 144 applies to exequatur translations too. Private clients: sworn translation for property and inheritance in Spain. Under Ley 20/2011 article 96, the Encargado can also enter a final foreign judgment directly: Registro Civil sworn translation.

Do EU judgments need a translation in Spain?

Sometimes. Under Brussels I bis, a judgment from another EU state is recognised without any special procedure. You provide a copy and the article 53 certificate, and the court may require a translation where necessary. No legalisation or apostille is needed (article 61).

Source: Regulation (EU) 1215/2012, articles 36, 37, 53 and 61.

EU divorces follow Brussels II ter instead; what gets translated is covered on our divorce decree page, linked in the table above. The same decree may return in a Spanish nationality sworn translation or family reunification Spain sworn translation file.

How do we work to procedural deadlines?

We plan backwards from your filing deadline. You give us the court and the term; we confirm pages, a fixed price and a delivery date before work starts. Large bundles go in stages, priority exhibits first, so your first filing does not wait for the last page.

1. Case set-up. One contact, one translator per language pair and one shared glossary per case.
2. Drafts. Your team checks names, dates and amounts before the seal.
3. Delivery. A signed PDF per exhibit, or paper by courier (can a sworn translation be digital).
4. Short terms. Our urgent sworn translation service handles short certificates the same day where possible.

Received the other side's private translation? The 5-day window is short. Send it to us at once, so a sworn translation of your own can be quoted inside that window. Reusing an older translation? See does a sworn translation expire.

How are foreign judgments and court records apostilled for Spain?

Apostille or legalise first, then translate. Judgments from Apostille Convention countries take an apostille; others, such as Nigeria, need legalisation in two steps. We translate the document and its apostille together, as Spanish offices expect. The route depends on the country and the issuing court.

English records: English to Spanish sworn translation. Arabic judgments: Arabic to Spanish sworn translation. Order: apostille before or after translation. Both arranged: apostille and sworn translation.

Which courts do we deliver to, and how fast?

Any court in Spain, from scans, with no local sworn translator needed. Certificates take 24–48 hours. A judgment or bundle gets a dated plan per stage before you pay. The signed PDF can be filed electronically by your procurador through LexNET; paper goes by courier when a court asks.

Privileged case material: how we keep it confidential

Article 22 of the Estatuto General de la Abogacía obliges lawyers to make collaborators keep professional secrecy. A translator on your case is one of them. We sign a GDPR article 28 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 a filing term: four checks

A Nigerian judgment for exequatur or a box of US contracts as evidence can't wait on a slow supplier. Four answers before you send it:

• Who signs? A MAEC-appointed sworn translator-interpreter, with their official seal or a qualified electronic signature. Check any seal on the official MAEC list: how to verify a sworn translator in Spain.
• Rejected on form? Free, prioritised re-issue if rejected on formal grounds. See how a free re-issue works.
• Data. Files are deleted within 7 days of delivery, under our privacy policy.
• Term close? Give the court and the date in the form; priority exhibits go first.

How much does a court documents sworn translation cost?

You get one fixed total per case, or per stage, before work starts. It includes apostille pages. Sworn translators set fees freely; 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. Weigh it against an official translation after a challenge, which can fall on the filing party.

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. Standard document rates: the full price table.

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: LEC art. 144 (BOE) · Ley 20/2011 (BOE) · MAEC: sworn translation · Ley 29/2015 (BOE). Last checked: 1 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do we start a sworn translation for your case?

Upload the documents with the case reference, the court and the filing deadline. Include every apostille page. Before you pay, you receive a fixed total and delivery dates. Large bundles get a staged plan, priority exhibits first.

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