Sworn translation for Spain: who a traductor jurado is and how to get a translation

A sworn translation is an official translation into Spanish accepted by Spanish consulates, the immigration authorities, the Ministry of Justice and universities. It is made by a sworn translator (traductor jurado) appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it does not need any further certification or legalisation. A translation certified only by a notary is not accepted in Spain. Below: who a sworn translator is and how to check one, which other translations count as official, how to get a translation abroad and in Spain, what it costs and what to translate together with the document.

Who a sworn translator is

A sworn translator (traductor jurado; the translation itself is a traducción jurada) is a professional who has been granted the title by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs after an exam, or whose equivalent qualification obtained in another EU country has been recognised. The status is governed by Real Decreto 724/2020:

• a sworn translator is not a civil servant or an employee of the Ministry; they work privately;
• only citizens of Spain, the EU, the EEA or Switzerland with a university degree may sit the exam;
• the title is valid wherever the translator lives, and their official translations for Spanish authorities do not need legalisation (Article 12). A translation by a sworn translator of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs who lives abroad has the same force as one made in Madrid;
• each translator has a single registration number, however many languages they work with.

What a sworn translation looks like

Article 18 of the regulation sets the format. The translation bears the translator’s signature and stamp, and the stamp shows only three items: first name and surname, language and the translator’s number. At the end comes a certification statement in which the translator certifies that the translation is faithful and accurate (“traducción fiel y exacta”), stating the language, place and date. A copy of the original is attached to the translation, and every page of it is also stamped and dated.

Electronic sworn translation has been lawful since 8 March 2025 (Orden AUC/213/2025). The translator signs the whole PDF file, the original together with the translation, with a qualified electronic signature, and instead of a stamp adds a text box with the same three items. The signature can be checked on the VALIDe service. Paper translations remain lawful.

Which translations Spain accepts as official

For immigration procedures, the Ministry of Inclusion lists three valid routes in its information sheet No. 61 (May 2025):

1. A sworn translator of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with no further certification.
2. A translation made or checked by a Spanish embassy or consulate abroad, bearing its stamp, after which the consulate’s signature is legalised at the legalisation section (Sección de Legalizaciones) of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
3. A translation by the embassy or consulate in Spain of the country that issued the document, with an apostille or legalisation at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A translation certified by a notary is not among them.

How to find and check a sworn translator

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps the official list of sworn translators and a search tool for it: by surname, language, country and province. The country filter shows translators holding the Spanish Ministry’s title who live outside Spain.

1. Find the translator in the search by surname and the language of your document.
2. Check that the name, language and number match the stamp or text box on the translation.
3. For an electronic translation, verify the signature on VALIDe.

The Ministry itself does not make private translations and does not act as an intermediary. For some languages there are no sworn translators on the list at all, for example Georgian, Armenian and Kyrgyz. If the document itself is in such a language, the consular routes remain. How this is handled for a Georgian certificate is explained in the article criminal record certificate from Georgia.

How to verify a Spanish apostille

Apostilles issued by Spain since 2011 are electronic and kept in a single register. You can check an apostille and the authenticity of the signature or seal at eregister.justicia.es (the Verificar Apostilla section) by entering the CSV code, the apostille number and the date of issue. Verification is available for 25 years from the date of issue (Ministry of Justice). This works only for Spanish apostilles; a foreign apostille is checked with the authority of the country that issued it.

How to get a translation if you are abroad

• A sworn translator, remotely. You send a scan or the original, and the translator makes a paper translation with a stamp or an electronic one with a qualified signature. It does not need legalisation.
• Certification at a Spanish consulate. A Spanish embassy or consulate abroad can make or check a translation and stamp it. The consular official’s signature is then recognised by the legalisation service of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the translation becomes official. Ask your consulate in advance whether it offers this service and what it charges.

How to get a translation if you are in Spain

• A sworn translator in any province is the simplest route.
• The consulate in Spain of the country that issued the document can translate it, after which the translation is legalised at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Legalisation at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is free of charge.

How much a sworn translation costs

There is no official tariff: Article 16 of Real Decreto 724/2020 allows sworn translators to set their prices freely. In practice the price is set per page or per word, standard documents such as certificates often have a fixed price, and an urgent order costs more. In practice a short document is translated within a few working days, a multi-page extract or contract takes longer, and a paper translation still has to be delivered. For a family the package grows with every person — certificates, criminal record certificates for the adults — so ask for a quote for the whole set at once. Compare several quotes and ask whether the price includes translating the apostille and posting the original.

What to translate and how long a translation is valid

• The whole document, together with the apostille. For degree homologation, the Ministry of Science states plainly that the official translation must include the legalisations and requires a full translation. In practice, residence permit documents are translated the same way: the apostille is part of the document.
• A bilingual document for homologation is translated from only one of its languages.
• A long document. A full translation is expressly required only for homologation; there is no separate rule on partial translation for residence permits. By default the whole document is translated. If a register extract or a contract runs to dozens of pages, in practice agree with the translator in advance which parts may be left out: an omitted section that the authority considers important may lead to a request for further documents.
• From the original only. A sworn translator certifies the translation of a document drawn up in a specific language and attaches a copy of the original stamped on every page (Article 18 and Annex I of Real Decreto 724/2020). A translation of an intermediate translation — for example, an Armenian certificate first translated into another language — does not fit that formula. If the authority can issue the document in a language that has sworn translators, such as English, order it in that language straight away. The apostille is an exception in practice: if the document is in a language that has sworn translators and the apostille is in one with none, as on criminal record certificates from Kyrgyzstan, a sworn translator from the document’s language cross-translates it together with the document, and nothing else is needed.
• Simple translation. Where the authority allows a simple translation (traducción simple) — for a digital nomad this is the CV — no sworn translator’s stamp is needed, and you can make the translation yourself. In practice the PDF contains the original first and the translation after it, which makes checking easier.
• Validity. A translation itself has no expiry date: “Las traducciones no tienen fecha de caducidad” (translations do not expire), writes the Ministry of Science. But if the document has a limited validity, such as a criminal record certificate, the translation becomes outdated along with it.
• Order. First the apostille on the original, then the translation of the document together with the apostille.

Which procedures need a translation. For a visa and residence permit, all foreign documents: criminal record certificates, birth and marriage certificates, contracts and statements for the digital nomad visa. For citizenship, the Ministry of Justice accepts a consular translation legalised at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a translation by a sworn translator. For homologation, a translation by a sworn translator or by an official translator of an EU country.

Which translation each document needs: the digital nomad package

For the digital nomad residence permit with documents from a non-EU country, almost the whole package needs a sworn translation, and only public documents need an apostille.

An apostille goes on public documents issued by a state authority. Public documents are translated by a sworn translator or a consulate, the rest also by a sworn translator, and the CV may be submitted in a simple translation: this is what the UGE information sheet for digital nomads says. In practice a bank certificate is filed with a simple translation. A document drawn up in Spanish needs no translation.

When applying online, documents and translations are uploaded as files. Digital nomad, highly qualified professional and startup applications are filed on the UGE platform. General-regime applications are filed through Mercurio. These platforms publish no specific official rule on accepting electronic sworn translations: if in doubt, upload a scan of the stamped paper translation.

Mistakes that make you pay for a translation twice

• A notarised translation. It is not on the list of valid translations for Spain. The money is spent, and the translation still has to be ordered from a sworn translator or certified at a consulate.
• Translating before the apostille. The apostille is part of the document and is translated with it, and a copy of the original stamped on every page is attached to a sworn translation. If the document is translated earlier, the apostille is missing from both the translation and the attached copy, and the work is done again. Apostille first, translation second.
• A document without an apostille. A criminal record certificate, a company register extract or a degree without an apostille will not be accepted even with a flawless translation. The apostille goes on the original, and the document is translated again, this time together with it. Which documents need an apostille and which do not is in the table above.
• A sworn translation where a simple one is enough. A digital nomad’s CV may be submitted in a simple translation, and the employer letter can be written in Spanish from the start. Nothing has to be redone here, but you overpay for a sworn translation of such documents.

Frequently asked questions

What is a sworn translation in Spain?

An official translation made by a translator holding a title from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bearing their signature, stamp and certification statement. Spanish authorities accept it without further legalisation. In Spanish it is called a traducción jurada, and the translator a traductor jurado.

Can you get a sworn translation into Spanish outside Spain?

Yes: from a sworn translator of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including one living abroad, or by having a translation checked at a Spanish consulate and then legalised at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Does Spain accept a notarised translation?

No. A notarised translation is not on the list of valid translations for Spain.

How much does a sworn translation cost?

There is no single tariff: under Article 16 of Real Decreto 724/2020, translators set their prices freely.

How do you check a sworn translator?

Find them in the official search of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs by surname and language, and check that the name, language and number match the stamp on the translation. An electronic signature is verified on the VALIDe service.

Does the apostille need to be translated?

Yes, the whole document is translated together with the apostille. For homologation, the Ministry of Science expressly requires the translation to include the legalisations.

How long is a sworn translation valid?

A translation has no expiry date. But if the document itself has a limited validity, such as a criminal record certificate, the translation loses its purpose along with it.

Is there an electronic sworn translation?

Yes, since 8 March 2025: the translator signs a PDF containing the original and the translation with a qualified electronic signature under Orden AUC/213/2025.

Sources

• Real Decreto 724/2020: sworn translators, the format of the translation, free pricing. BOE-A-2020-9271.
• Orden AUC/213/2025: electronic sworn translation. BOE-A-2025-4519.
• Ministry of Inclusion: information sheet No. 61 “Legalisation and translation of documents”, May 2025.
• Ministry of Science: translations for homologation; Ministry of Justice: translation of documents for citizenship.

Checked against official sources on 15 September 2026.