Terms and conditions: how ordering a sworn translation works

These terms are effective from 12 October 2026. They apply to orders accepted from that date, through this website, by email or by WhatsApp. Please read them before you pay. If you are a consumer, nothing here removes rights that the law of your country gives you.

Who is the business behind these terms?

The service is provided by Spain Sworn Translators. Our contact details are below and on our contact page. We answer in English or Spanish.

Which words have a special meaning in these terms?

A few words are used in a fixed sense throughout these terms. They make each clause shorter and clearer.

• "We", "us", "our": Spain Sworn Translators.
• "You", "client": the person or business that accepts a quote.
• "Consumer": an individual acting for purposes outside their trade, business or profession.
• "Business client": anyone else, including law firms, gestorías, employers and companies.
• "Sworn translator": a translator-interpreter appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC).
• "Order": one accepted quote, with all the documents it lists.
• "Source document": the document you send us to translate.
• "Working day": Monday to Friday, except national public holidays in Spain.

What service do we provide?

Spain Sworn Translators coordinates sworn translations into Spanish. The translation itself is made, signed and sealed by a sworn translator under Real Decreto 724/2020. Each sworn translator is an independent professional, not our employee. We manage the quote, the file checks, the draft check and delivery.

• What you receive: a sworn translation of the pages you send, with any apostille or legalisation on them.
• Who certifies it: the sworn translator alone, with their official signature and seal; we do not certify translations ourselves.
• Format: a PDF signed with a qualified electronic signature; paper by courier only if you order it.
• Language direction: we translate into Spanish only. We do not offer Spanish-to-English translation.
• Non-sworn translation: available into Spanish, for documents that do not need a sworn translation, such as internal or reference copies.
• Interpreting: we do not provide sworn interpreters.
• What we do not do: give legal advice, book appointments, prepare applications or represent you before any office.

We cannot promise that an office will accept your file or your application. Only the office you file with decides. We are not affiliated with any Spanish authority, consulate or visa centre.

How do the quote and acceptance work?

You send scans of every page through the quote form, with your procedure and deadline. We reply with one fixed total and a delivery date. A quote is valid for 14 days, and it covers only the pages it lists.

1. Quote. Free, and binding on us for the pages shown. It commits you to nothing.
2. Acceptance. You accept the quote and these terms at checkout, then pay. The contract starts when we confirm your payment by email.
3. Draft check. Where offered, you check names, dates and places in a draft before the seal is applied.
4. Delivery. The signed PDF arrives by email, and paper follows by courier if ordered.

If the documents differ from the scans quoted, or you add pages, we quote the change before any work. We may decline an order before acceptance, without giving a reason.

What are the prices and how do I pay?

The price is the fixed total in your accepted quote. It covers the translation of each page and its apostille, the sworn translator's certification and seal, and the signed PDF. Courier costs appear in the quote if you order paper. Certificates start from €29; typical prices are on our sworn translation prices page. 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.

• Taxes: we are VAT registered. Prices include VAT where it applies. Business invoices show the VAT treatment (for example reverse charge for EU businesses).
• Urgent delivery: 24-hour delivery adds 30% to the order price. Same-day delivery adds 60%, with a minimum of €25 extra.
• Paper copies: tracked courier within Spain (24–48 h) costs €9; international courier is from €29. Each extra hard copy costs €9. We use DHL, MRW, SEUR or Correos Express.
• When to pay: in full, before work starts, unless you are a business client on monthly invoicing. We do not start until payment has cleared.
• How to pay: credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), PayPal, or bank transfer (SEPA and international). Apple Pay and Google Pay work through our card processor. Your bank or card provider may add its own fees.
• Invoices: every order gets an invoice. Businesses can have their company name and tax number (NIF/VAT number) on it.
• Business clients: monthly invoicing is available for registered businesses after the first 3 paid orders. We issue the invoice on the 1st of each month, and payment is due within 15 days. Volume discounts are 10% for 5–19 documents a month, 15% for 20–49 and 20% for 50 or more; see our sworn translation service for law firms and gestorías.

Business clients pay each monthly invoice within 15 days of its issue. Late payments by business clients carry statutory interest and recovery costs under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

How long will my translation take?

The delivery date in your quote is our best estimate for your file. Certificates usually take 24–48 hours from payment and receipt of all pages. The clock pauses while we wait for a missing page or your draft check. We tell you at once if a date is at risk.

A standard delivery date is an estimate, so a short delay is not a breach. An urgent order is different: its quoted deadline is a firm commitment. If we miss a confirmed urgent deadline through our fault, we refund the urgency surcharge. If you can no longer use the translation, you may cancel instead for a full refund.

Rare languages, such as Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian or Arabic, take 3–4 working days for 1–2 pages. Allow 5–7 working days for 3–10 pages.

Short deadline? Our same-day and 24-hour sworn translation options carry the surcharges above. Same-day applies to 1–2 page documents in common languages. Orders received and paid by 12:00 noon (Spanish time) on a working day arrive digitally by 20:00. Urgent orders are accepted on Saturdays; Sunday orders only by request, subject to translator availability. Standard orders received at the weekend start on the next working day. Courier transit times are set by the courier, not by us.

What do I need to do as the client?

You must send complete, legible copies of the right documents and check the draft. The sworn translator translates exactly what the source document shows. So the result depends on the pages you send and on names being confirmed before sealing.

• Send every page, front and back, with stamps and the apostille.
• Make sure photos are sharp, with no cut corners.
• Check that the document is the version your office wants, and still valid.
• Check names, dates and places in the draft, and reply by the time we give.
• Tell us your office and deadline in the quote form.
• Send only documents you have the right to share, and that are genuine.

Spellings follow the source document. Where they differ from your passport, the translator may add a note; they cannot change the source. We are not responsible for errors that come from the source document, from data you gave us, or from a draft you approved. We may stop work, and refund the unused part, if a document appears altered or unlawful.

Do consumers have a right to withdraw?

Yes. As a consumer buying at a distance, you may withdraw within 14 days of the contract, without giving a reason. That right comes from EU Directive 2011/83/EU and Spain's consumer law. Most clients need translations quickly, so the law lets you ask us to start sooner.

At checkout, you can ask us to start within the 14 days. You then tick two separate boxes. First, you ask us to start work at once. Second, you acknowledge that you lose the right to withdraw once the translation is fully delivered.

• If you withdraw before work starts, we refund everything you paid.
• If you withdraw after work starts but before delivery, you pay for the work already done.
• Once the translation is fully delivered, the right to withdraw ends.

To withdraw, use the "Withdraw from contract here" function on our website. You may also email info@spainsworntranslators.com with a clear statement. We confirm your withdrawal by email without delay.

Model withdrawal form. To: Spain Sworn Translators, 33 Willmore Road, Birmingham, B20 3JH, United Kingdom, info@spainsworntranslators.com. I hereby give notice that I withdraw from my contract for the following service: [order number]. Ordered on: [date]. Name: [your name]. Address: [your address]. Date: [date].

Can I cancel an order and get a refund?

Every client may cancel by email. What you get back depends on how far the work has gone. These rules apply to consumers and business clients alike, alongside any withdrawal right above.

We tell you in writing how any deduction was worked out. Refunds go to the payment method you used, within 14 days of your cancellation.

What happens if an office rejects the translation?

Free, prioritised re-issue if rejected on formal grounds. If an office refuses the translation for a defect in the translation itself, we correct it free and ahead of new orders. Refusals about your case or the source document are not covered. The full rules are in our re-issue policy, which forms part of these terms.

A re-issue is our first remedy for a formal defect. A refund applies where the policy says so. Claims must reach us within 6 months of delivery. Consumers keep their legal rights in addition to this policy.

What is the limit of our liability?

We answer for delivering the translation you ordered, with reasonable care and skill, without formal defects. Our liability depends on whether you are a consumer or a business client. Some liability can never be limited.

Liability we never exclude

Nothing in these terms limits liability that the law does not allow us to limit. That includes death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, wilful misconduct and gross negligence. It also includes a consumer's mandatory legal rights.

Limits for consumers

We are responsible for loss you suffer that was foreseeable when you placed the order. We are not responsible for business losses, such as lost profit or lost business opportunities. Our total liability for an order is limited to twice its price. It never prevents you from recovering the price you paid.

Limits for business clients

Our total liability for an order, in contract, tort or otherwise, is limited to the fees paid for it. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. That includes loss of profit, revenue, business, goodwill, clients or data, or wasted expenditure.

What we are not responsible for

We are not responsible for loss caused by events outside our control or by your own actions. We remain responsible where our own breach caused the loss.

• Decisions of any office, court, notary or consulate, or changes to their checklists.
• A missed or lost appointment, where we delivered by the date agreed.
• Defects in the source document, or wrong information you gave us.
• Delays caused by late documents, late draft approval or courier transit.

How do you keep my documents confidential?

Your documents are used only for your order. They are seen by the coordinator and the MAEC-appointed sworn translator for your language pair, who are bound by confidentiality. Your files are deleted within 7 days of delivery. The details are in our privacy policy.

We keep your information confidential unless the law requires disclosure. We sign a data processing agreement (encargo de tratamiento) with business clients, and a non-disclosure agreement on request.

Who owns the translation?

Copyright in the translation stays with its author or with us. Once you have paid in full, you may use, copy and file the translation for any lawful purpose. You may not resell it as a translation service.

What if events outside our control delay an order?

We are not liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond our reasonable control. Examples are a translator's sudden illness, an IT or power failure, strikes, or official system outages. We tell you promptly and propose a new date. If the delay goes past your deadline, you may cancel for a refund of work not yet done.

How do I make a complaint?

Write to info@spainsworntranslators.com with your order number and the problem. We confirm receipt within 2 working days and answer in writing within 14 days. If we need longer, we tell you why and when to expect a reply.

We are not bound to use any alternative dispute resolution body. If we cannot agree, we will tell you whether we accept a named body for your case. The EU's online dispute resolution (ODR) platform closed on 20 July 2025, so we do not link to it. Consumers in Spain can also contact their local consumer office (OMIC).

Which law applies and where can disputes be heard?

These terms are governed by the law of the place where Spain Sworn Translators is established, as shown in our postal address. For business clients, the courts of that place have exclusive jurisdiction. That covers any dispute about these terms or an order.

If you are a consumer, you keep the mandatory protections of the law of the country where you live. Those protections apply even where the law chosen in these terms says otherwise. You may also bring a claim in the courts of your home country. We can only bring a claim against you there.

What if one part of these terms is invalid?

If a court finds any clause invalid or unfair, the rest of these terms still apply. The invalid clause is applied as far as the law allows. These terms, the quote and the re-issue policy form the whole agreement with business clients.

• Not enforcing a right at once does not mean we give it up.
• Only you and we can enforce these terms; no third party can.
• We may transfer our rights under these terms to another business; a consumer's rights are not reduced.

Can these terms change?

Yes. We may update these terms, for example when the law or our services change. The version that applies to your order is the one in force on the day you accept the quote. We show the date of the current version at the top of this page.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to order under these terms?

Upload clear scans of every page and tell us your procedure and deadline. You then see the fixed total before you pay. The four steps are explained in how an order works, and common questions in our answers to common questions. To check a translator once your translation arrives, see how to verify a sworn translator in Spain.

We only translate. We never sell appointments.

Sources: Directive 2011/83/EU (art. 9, 14, 16 and 11a); Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2007 (art. 86, 102–108); Rome I Regulation (art. 6); Brussels I bis Regulation (art. 17–19); Real Decreto 724/2020 (sworn translators). Last checked: 12 October 2026.