Sworn translation for immigration lawyers in Spain

Your clients live in Spain and file at Extranjería, but their criminal records and civil certificates come from abroad.

Form fields: firm name · NIF/VAT number · matter or client reference · documents (upload) · procedure and office · requerimiento or appointment date · email · WhatsApp (optional, +44 7482 545337)

We are not affiliated with any Oficina de Extranjería, the Ministry of Inclusion or the Ministry of Justice. We translate; we do not advise on the law. Account terms, invoicing and data agreements for every practice are on our sworn translation for law firms in Spain page. Individuals can see all sworn translation services.

Which foreign documents do Extranjería files usually need?

Extranjería files usually rely on foreign criminal record certificates, birth and marriage certificates, and degrees. They support arraigo, nationality, family reunification and work files for clients living in Spain. Many come from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Morocco, Nigeria and the Philippines, apostilled or legalised first.

Criminal records for arraigo: what the Hojas ask for

In an arraigo file, the criminal record is the core document. Hojas 28 and 31 require a certificate from each country your client lived in during the last 5 years. Each is apostilled or legalised before translation. Arraigo familiar adds a birth certificate showing the relationship and the minor's nationality.

See arraigo sworn translation. The 2026 extraordinary regularisation closed with 1,174,978 applications (Ministry of Inclusion, 2 July 2026). Permits last one year, so renewals fall due from 2027: regularisation renewal sworn translation.

Nationality files: birth certificate and criminal record

Nationality by residence needs a birth certificate and a criminal record certificate from the country of origin, both legalised and translated. The Ministry wants documents "debidamente traducidos y legalizados" and names no translator type. A sworn translation is the safe choice. DELE A2 and CCSE certificates need no translation.

About 281,000 nationality files were pending at 31 March 2026, according to Ministry of Justice figures as reported by a Spanish law firm. For bulk sworn translation of nationality sets, we use one translator per language pair, coordinated into one delivery. More: Spanish nationality sworn translation.

Which translations does Extranjería accept under Hoja 61?

Hoja informativa 61 (May 2025) accepts three kinds of translation in Extranjería files. The first is by a MAEC sworn translator. The second is made or reviewed by a Spanish consulate abroad, then legalised by MAEC. The third is by the origin country's consulate in Spain, then apostilled or legalised.

Individual Hojas say "por un traductor jurado". Of the three routes, only the MAEC sworn translation needs no extra step after delivery. That is why a traductor jurado para abogados de extranjería is the usual choice for files lodged in Spain.

A traducción jurada de antecedentes penales covering several countries is quoted as one file. Check any translator yourself: how to verify a sworn translator in Spain.

Sources: Hoja 61, legalisation and translation · Hoja, arraigo social · Ministry of Justice nationality FAQ · MAEC, traducción jurada (RD 724/2020). Last checked: 1 October 2026.

How do we handle a requerimiento with 10 working days to reply?

Under Ley 39/2015 article 68, a requerimiento de subsanación gives your client 10 working days (días hábiles) to fix the file. Article 30 sets how those days are counted. Miss the term and the application is treated as withdrawn (desistido). Nationality files differ: RD 1004/2015, art. 10, gives three months. Send the notice at once: where the document allows, we deliver the same day.

Ask early for more time if a document is hard to get. Article 68.2 allows up to 5 extra days, except in competitive procedures, if requested before the term ends.

Representatives file replies through Mercurio, with a digital certificate. Our signed PDF is ready to attach. For a tight term, use the same-day and 24-hour translation service.

How does a matter pack keep names consistent across a client's file?

A matter pack keeps every document of one client or family together: one translator per language pair, coordinated into one delivery. Names, places and dates are checked against the passport before the seal goes on. Your team or the client approves each draft. Documents are delivered as their apostilles arrive, so nothing waits.

• Single-name passports. Some passports, including some Indian ones, show one name in the given-name field and leave the surname blank. Later documents may then add a surname such as Singh or Kaur, which causes mismatches. We add a translator's note where spellings differ; see single-name passport in Spain.
• References. Your client reference can appear on each PDF and invoice line, as you set it in the quote request.
• Direct client upload. Your client can send files under your matter reference through our quote form, by email or on WhatsApp. You stay copied on drafts and delivery.

Gestorías order the same way; see sworn translation for law firms and gestorías.

Which apostille or legalisation route do your clients' documents need?

It depends on the issuing country. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Morocco and the Philippines use the apostille. Nigeria still uses two-step legalisation. In every case the apostille or legalisation goes on first. The sworn translation then covers the document and the apostille together.

Apostille still missing? Our apostille and sworn translation page explains the route. Urdu, Bengali, Arabic and French: sworn translation into Spanish from any language. There is no MAEC sworn translator for Hindi or Punjabi. We work from the English version where one exists. Spanish-language documents, for example from Latin America, need no translation.

Immigration practices we serve, city by city

Anywhere in Spain: the service runs online, so your clients' files need no local sworn translator. A digitally signed PDF is valid wherever the office accepts electronic documents, including Mercurio filings, with paper by courier where an office insists. Price and turnaround stay the same.

Figures: INE Padrón, January 2026, as reported by euribor.com.es; Alicante share as reported by El Debate, 10 February 2026.

Your clients' certificates are personal data your firm controls. We work under a GDPR article 28 data processing agreement, which we sign with your firm. Files are deleted within 7 days of delivery, as our privacy policy sets out.

How much does sworn translation cost for an immigration law firm?

You receive one fixed total per client file before anyone pays, with each apostille page included. Invoices can show your firm's NIF or VAT number and matter reference, addressed to the firm or the client.

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.

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. Every document rate is on our price list.

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.

Will your translations hold up for my client's file?

An arraigo file with three countries' criminal records leaves no room for a weak translation. Four checks before you send one:

• The translator is real. Every translator we work with is MAEC-appointed and on the official register — verify any seal on the MAEC list.
• Rejected on form? Free, prioritised re-issue if rejected on formal grounds. See what happens if a translation is rejected.
• Data. Files are deleted within 7 days of delivery; a data processing agreement covers your matters.
• Deadline. Put the requerimiento or appointment date in the form, and we plan delivery around it.

Related: Extranjería sworn translation, family reunification Spain sworn translation and, when an employer sponsors your client, sworn translation for relocation companies.

Frequently asked questions

How does an immigration firm send a client file for a quote?

Upload scans of every page, apostilles included, with your matter reference, procedure and deadline. No originals are needed. Before anyone pays, you get a fixed total and a delivery date.

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