Your route in three steps: 1. Order the certificate → 2. FCDO apostille → 3. Sworn translation into Spanish
We are not affiliated with the FCDO, ACRO or any Spanish authority.
In Spanish this is a traducción jurada de documentos británicos. Upload scans from Spain or the UK; originals are never needed.
Do Britons need sworn translations after Brexit?
Yes. Spanish offices ask for UK documents in Spanish, and a sworn translation by a MAEC-appointed translator is the standard route. Since Brexit, UK public documents also need an FCDO apostille for Spain. This applies to Extranjería, the Registro Civil, nationality files and Spanish consulates in the UK.
A sworn translation is official and valid in Spain without further legalisation, under Real Decreto 724/2020. 382,474 UK nationals held a Spanish residence document on 31 December 2025 (Ministry of Inclusion / OPI). More countries: documents from every country we cover.
Already living in Spain: ordering and apostilling UK documents from here
You can usually handle UK documents from Spain by post and online. Order the certificate from the UK issuer, send it to the FCDO for the apostille, then send us the scan. Check each official page for current delivery options to a Spanish address before you order.
| Step from Spain | Where | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Birth, marriage or death certificate (England and Wales) | GRO online ordering on gov.uk | Order the full certificate; check overseas delivery |
| Scottish or Northern Irish certificate | The register that holds the record | That register's own ordering page |
| ACRO police certificate | Online with ACRO | ACRO's current processing time and postal options |
| FCDO apostille | By post (FCDO legalisation service) | Paper or e-Apostille, and return postage to Spain |
| Translation | Scan of document and apostille to us | Nothing else; originals stay with you |
If ordering from abroad is awkward, a relative in the UK can receive the certificate and post it to the FCDO for you. For any help from the British consulate in Spain, check its own guidance first. We do not order UK documents; we translate them once the apostille is on.
Buying, selling or inheriting a home here? See property and inheritance sworn translation in Spain. Settling a residence file after years in Spain? See arraigo sworn translation.
Which UK documents can't get an e-Apostille?
GRO birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates cannot get an e-Apostille. Nor can ACRO police certificates, or DBS, Disclosure and fingerprint certificates. They need a paper FCDO apostille: £45, usually up to 25 working days, plus postage. Other documents may qualify for the e-Apostille at £35, within up to 2 working days.
The one fact that matters: your ACRO certificate and civil certificates travel by post, on paper. Plan for usually up to 25 working days at the FCDO, plus postage, before translation can start.
| FCDO service | Fee | Time | Not available for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper apostille | £45 | Usually up to 25 working days, plus postage | — |
| e-Apostille | £35 | Up to 2 working days | GRO birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates; ACRO; DBS, Disclosure and fingerprint certificates |
Fees and times: FCDO – Get your document legalised (source: gov.uk, 12 October 2026).
How do I apostille UK documents for Spain?
You apostille UK documents for Spain through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Spain and the UK both use the apostille, so no embassy legalisation follows. Choose paper or e-Apostille according to the document. Then send us the document and apostille together for sworn translation into Spanish.
Wait for the FCDO apostille to come back before you order the translation. The apostille is translated with the document, so translating early means paying twice. Background: why the apostille comes before the sworn translation.
| Step | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Order the document | Issuing register, university or ACRO | Check the issuer's current time |
| 2. Apostille | FCDO (HCCH status table lists the UK as an apostille country) | Paper usually up to 25 working days; e-Apostille up to 2 working days |
| 3. Sworn translation | Online, with us | Certificates and degrees 24–48 hours; transcripts 2–3 working days (2–5 pages) |
| 4. Delivery | Digitally signed PDF; paper by courier if an office insists | We translate the document and its apostille together |
For one order covering both steps, see apostille and sworn translation.
How do I apostille an ACRO certificate for Spain?
A UK ACRO police certificate apostille for Spain must be a paper apostille from the FCDO. ACRO certificates have no electronic version, so the e-Apostille is not available. Allow usually up to 25 working days, plus postage. Validity is set by each Spanish office, commonly 3 to 6 months from issue.
So the order is simple. Get your civil certificates apostilled first, because they are not on a short clock. Then apply to ACRO, so the certificate is still fresh when you file.
Worked example: appointment or filing date on 1 June
| When | Step |
|---|---|
| March | Birth and marriage certificates ordered, sent to the FCDO and back |
| Mid-March, or earlier if ACRO is slow | Apply to ACRO; check its current processing time first |
| On receipt (around April) | Post the ACRO certificate to the FCDO for a paper apostille: about five weeks plus postage |
| Mid-May | Send us scans of everything; 24-hour translation |
| 1 June | File, with the ACRO certificate a few weeks old |
In total, allow about 8 to 10 weeks for ACRO plus the FCDO, depending on ACRO's current time. Translation of the certificate itself is covered on our police clearance certificate sworn translation page. Our guide on whether Spain accepts an ACRO police certificate has more detail.
Documents from the UK we translate
UK documents are issued in English, so we work through our English to Spanish sworn translation service. Each document has its own translation page.
| UK document | Issued by | Translation page |
|---|---|---|
| ACRO police certificate | ACRO Criminal Records Office | ACRO and other police certificates |
| Full birth certificate | Register office | Birth certificate sworn translation |
| Marriage certificate | Register office | Marriage certificate sworn translation |
| Decree absolute or final order | Family court | Divorce decree sworn translation |
| Degree certificate | University | Degree certificate sworn translation |
| Academic transcript | University | Academic transcript sworn translation |
| Bank and pension statements | Your bank or provider | Bank statement sworn translation |
Court judgments for Spanish proceedings, including exequatur, are covered on our court documents sworn translation page.
UK birth certificate apostille for Spain
A UK birth certificate apostille for Spain must be a paper apostille. Order the full certificate, which shows parents' details. Send it to the FCDO with your other civil certificates.
UK marriage certificate apostille for Spain
A UK marriage certificate apostille for Spain is also paper only. Spouses applying together should send both birth certificates and the marriage certificate in one batch to the FCDO.
UK degree certificate apostille for Spain
A UK degree certificate apostille for Spain may be eligible for the e-Apostille. Check the FCDO guidance for whether your degree needs certifying first.
Send your FCDO-apostilled documents for a fixed price
Free quote within 1 hour · files deleted 7 days after delivery
Common mistakes with UK paperwork for Spain
Most problems with UK files are about timing and format, not the English.
- Ordering ACRO before the civil certificates are ready. It then loses validity while the others are prepared.
- Expecting an e-Apostille for every document. GRO certificates and ACRO certificates need paper.
- Sending the short birth certificate. Order the full version.
- Translating before the apostille. The apostille must be translated too.
- Name differences. Maiden and married names often differ across documents. We check every name against your passport and add a translator's note where needed.
- Missing a correction notice. A new paper apostille usually takes up to 25 working days. That is longer than the 10 working days (días hábiles) that Ley 39/2015, article 68 allows. Act on a requerimiento at once. Before the deadline, ask for an extension of up to 5 working days under article 68.2. See correction notice sworn translation.
Last checked: 1 October 2026.
How much does a sworn translation of UK documents cost?
We charge in euros only. You pay one fixed total, agreed before you pay, whether you live in Spain or the UK. The apostille page is translated with the document. See the full price table, or get a fixed quote for your UK certificates from a phone photo.
| Item | Price (€) | Standard turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Short certificate (birth, marriage, ACRO) | From €29 | 24–48 hours |
| Degree certificate | From €29 | 24–48 hours |
| Academic transcript | From €29 per page | 2–3 working days (2–5 pages) |
| Bank or pension statement | From €24 per page | Confirmed in your quote |
| Couple's set (two birth certificates, marriage, two ACRO) | From €145 | 2–3 working days |
As an indicative market range, sworn translations in Spain cost about €30–120 a page: roughly €30–80 for the first page and €15–40 for later pages (Cronoshare, January 2026). This is a market range, not our price.
Payment methods: Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, PayPal, bank transfer (SEPA or international), Apple Pay and Google Pay. Prices include VAT where it applies.
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.
Need it sooner? 24-hour delivery adds 30% to the order price. Same-day delivery adds 60%, with a €25 minimum. A tracked paper copy costs €9 within Spain, or from €29 abroad.
What UK residents in Spain ask before they order
Filing an ACRO certificate at Extranjería in Alicante, or a marriage certificate at a Registro Civil on the Costa del Sol? Every English translator we work with is a Traductor-Intérprete Jurado on the official MAEC register. You can check the seal on your translation in the official MAEC search (Buscador-STIJ) while your documents are still with the FCDO.
- Is the translator real? Our guide shows how to verify a Spanish sworn translator.
- What if it is rejected? If an office queries, say, a maiden name on your GRO certificate, you get a free, prioritised re-issue if rejected on formal grounds. Read what happens if a translation is rejected.
- Is my data safe? Files are deleted within 7 days of delivery; see our privacy policy.
- Cita in days? Use our urgent sworn translation service.
What clients say
4.9/5.0 from 18,000+ reviews
“I needed my birth certificate translated for my Spanish nationality paperwork and wasn't really sure where to start. I sent an enquiry first, and the team explained the process without making it complicated. The communication was good, and I felt more confident about getting the documents ready.”
“We had to translate our marriage certificate for a family reunification procedure. I was worried about getting the paperwork wrong, so I had quite a few questions. The team was patient and explained the translation process clearly. That was genuinely helpful during an already stressful time.”
“Muy buen servicio. I needed an English-to-Spanish sworn translation for official paperwork and had a few doubts before ordering. They answered my questions clearly, and the whole process was easier than I expected.”
“Muchas gracias por la ayuda 😊 I needed my marriage certificate translated for a family application here in Spain. Communication was good and the steps were easy to understand.”
“Good service and clear communication. I needed my police clearance certificate translated for a residence application. They explained what they needed from me and answered my questions promptly.”
“I contacted them for documents needed for my long-term residence application. There were several things to organise, and I didn't want to leave the translation until the last minute. The replies were clear, and I appreciated knowing the process before confirming the order.”
“My nationality application involved documents from my home country, and I wasn't sure how to arrange the translations. I reached out with my questions and received a clear explanation of the process. It saved me from spending more time guessing what to do next.”
“We needed corporate documents translated into Spanish for a business procedure. The terminology and consistency mattered to us, so we wanted a service that understood the formal nature of the documents. Communication was professional, and the process was well organised.”
Which procedure are you applying for from the UK?
- Already in Spain: Extranjería sworn translation
- Marriage or birth registration in Spain: Registro Civil sworn translation
- Spanish nationality: Spanish nationality sworn translation
- Degree recognition: degree homologation sworn translation
- Non-lucrative visa: non-lucrative visa translations
- Digital nomad visa: digital nomad visa translations
- Any consulate visa: sworn translation for a Spain visa
Moving with a partner from North America? See US documents for Spain and Canadian documents for Spain.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the FCDO apostille take?
The paper apostille usually takes up to 25 working days, plus postage, and costs £45. The e-Apostille takes up to 2 working days and costs £35. It is not available for GRO or ACRO certificates, so plan those around the paper timeline.
Do Scottish and Northern Irish documents follow the same route?
Yes. The FCDO apostilles documents issued anywhere in the UK. Order the full certificate from the register that holds the record, then apostille and translate it as usual.
Do I need to post my original documents to you?
No. A scan or clear photo of every page, including the apostille, is enough. Your originals stay with you for your appointment. Paper translations can follow by courier if an office insists.
Does a Spanish sworn translation work in the UK too?
We translate into Spanish only. For Spanish documents needed in the UK, see does the UK accept a Spanish sworn translation.
Send your UK documents today
Scan every page, including the apostille. Tell us your appointment or submission date and we will plan around it.
Get your fixed quote in euros
Free quote within 1 hour · fixed price before you pay · official in Spain
What happens next
- 1We reply with one fixed total in euros, plus the delivery date.
- 2You check the draft for maiden and married names, dates and places before it is sealed.
- 3The digitally signed PDF lands in your inbox; paper follows by courier only if your office insists.
WhatsApp: +44 7482 545337. We only translate. We never sell appointments.