Spanish nationality sworn translation for your residence file

We are not affiliated with the Ministry of Justice, any Registro Civil or the Instituto Cervantes. We only translate. We never sell appointments.

Which documents need translating for Spanish citizenship?

For Spanish nationality by residence, RD 1004/2015 (article 5) asks for a birth certificate and a criminal record certificate from your country of origin. Add a marriage certificate where relevant. Each must be legalised or apostilled and translated. The DELE and CCSE certificates are in Spanish, so they need no translation.

The set is usually two or three certificates, plus the apostille or legalisation on each. Each document has its own page with local names and scan tips.

• Birth certificate: birth certificate sworn translation for Spanish nationality
• Criminal record certificate from your country of origin (traducción jurada del certificado de antecedentes penales): police clearance certificate translation for your nationality file
• Marriage certificate, where relevant, for example if you are married to a Spanish national: marriage certificate sworn translation for Spanish nationality
• The apostille or legalisation on each document, translated together with it

Documents still without an apostille? See our apostille and sworn translation service first.

Translations the Ministry of Justice accepts for nationality

The Ministry of Justice asks for foreign documents "debidamente traducidos y legalizados" (duly translated and legalised). It does not name a translator type. A sworn translation is the safe choice, because it is official in Spain without further legalisation.

Sworn translators are appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) through its Office of Language Interpretation (OIL). Their rules are set by Real Decreto 724/2020. You can match the name, language pair and number on the seal in the official MAEC search (Buscador-STIJ).

Since 8 March 2025, a digitally signed sworn translation is legally valid; paper remains valid too. Detail: digital sworn translation in Spain.

Sources: RD 1004/2015, BOE · Ministry of Justice nationality FAQ. Last checked: 1 October 2026.

How long is a criminal record valid for nationality?

The Ministry of Justice nationality FAQ says a criminal record certificate with no stated validity counts as valid for 6 months from issue. The certificate comes from your country of origin. It must be legalised or apostilled, then sworn-translated into Spanish before you file.

Work back from the date you plan to file.

The translation itself does not expire; the 6 months run from the certificate's issue date. Read more in our guide on how long a sworn translation stays valid in Spain.

Can my birth certificate be older than six months?

Yes. According to the Ministry of Justice nationality FAQ, the birth certificate is the only document that may be older than 6 months. RD 1004/2015 still asks for it "debidamente legalizado y traducido". So it needs an apostille or legalisation, then a sworn translation into Spanish.

Names cause more problems than dates. A sworn translator must reproduce exactly what the document says. We check every name against your passport and NIE. Where spellings differ, the translator adds a translator's note. Single-name passports need extra care: read our guide to the single-name passport in Spain.

For births, marriages and other civil registry entries, see our Registro Civil sworn translation page.

Do the DELE and CCSE certificates need translating?

No. The DELE A2 and the CCSE are both Instituto Cervantes documents issued in Spanish, so they need no translation. Both are required for nationality by residence. Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries are exempt from the DELE only. They still need the CCSE.

Nationality documents to translate, country by country

Nationals of origin of Ibero-American countries, Brazil included, can apply after 2 years of legal residence. So can nationals of Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and people of Sephardic origin (Código Civil, art. 22.1). Most other applicants follow the 10-year route.

If your documents are already in Spanish, you may not need us at all: only the apostille. Indian documents need state attestation, then the MEA apostille: see Indian documents for Spain. Most Philippine, Pakistani and Indian records are in English: see English to Spanish sworn translation.

Checks on your nationality certificates before the seal

• The apostille or legalisation is present. We translate the apostille together with the document, as Spanish offices expect.
• The criminal record's issue date leaves time to file within 6 months. If it is close, we tell you.
• Every name matches your passport and NIE, with a translator's note where it differs.
• Every page, back and stamp is translated and sealed.
• You approve a draft of names, dates and places before the seal is applied.

Before you pay for your nationality translations

A nationality file can wait a long time for a decision, so a requerimiento over a translation costs you more months. Four checks first:

• Is the translator real? Every translator in our network is MAEC-appointed and holds every authorisation Spain requires for sworn work. Their seal on each page can be checked on the official MAEC list; our guide shows how to verify a Spanish sworn translator.
• What if the Ministry rejects it? Free, prioritised re-issue if rejected on formal grounds, for example a missed stamp or a misspelt name. See our re-issue policy.
• Is my data safe? Your files are deleted within 7 days of delivery, as set out in our privacy policy.
• Filing soon? Our urgent sworn translation service handles short certificates the same day where possible.

Fixed price for a nationality document set

You pay one fixed total, shown before payment. 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 the full list for the sworn translation prices, or get a fixed quote for your nationality certificates in one step.

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.

More on Spanish citizenship and residence files

• Our guide to Spanish citizenship requirements covers citizenship by marriage and the 2-year route for Filipinos.
• Sworn vs certified translation
• Extranjería sworn translation for residence procedures before nationality
• Regularisation and permit renewal translations, if your residence began with the 2026 regularisation
• Correction notice sworn translation if you receive a requerimiento
• Ordering for clients? See our page for immigration lawyers and abogados de extranjería or the service for law firms and gestorías.
• Browse all sworn translation services by procedure.

Frequently asked questions

Send your nationality documents for a fixed 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.