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 notarised in Russia 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 in Russia 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 in Russia 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, for example the Russian consulate, with an apostille or legalisation at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A Russian notarised translation is not among them. The Spanish Consulate in Moscow states plainly that a translation by a Russian translator certified by a notary is official only for Russia.

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. Russian is on the list, and Russia appears in the country filter, which means some translators holding the Spanish Ministry’s title live in Russia.

1. Find the translator in the search by surname and the language “ruso” (Russian).
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 and Armenian; in that case 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 Russian apostille is checked in the Russian register.

How to get a translation if you are in Russia

• 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 the Spanish consulate. The consulate in Moscow does not translate documents itself, but its legalisation section certifies a finished translation. The consular official’s signature is then recognised by the legalisation service of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the translation becomes official. Documents are handed in through the security booth from 8:00 to 14:00 on working days; anyone can hand them in without a power of attorney, and the fee is communicated by email. The section accepts documents from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The consulate in St Petersburg also certifies translations.

Moscow consular fees for the third quarter of 2026: certification of a translation costs RUB 2,698 per sheet of 30 lines, legalisation of a signature at the consulate RUB 628 per signature; recognition of that signature by the legalisation service of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is free of charge. The amounts are revised every quarter; the current table is on the consulate’s website.

How to get a translation if you are in Spain

• A sworn translator in any province is the simplest route.
• The Russian consulate in Spain translates Russian documents, 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. The cost depends on the translator, the volume and the urgency, so compare several quotes and ask whether the price includes translating the apostille and posting the original. The consular fees for certification are fixed and given above.

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.
• 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. Details in the articles apostille on an EGRUL and EGRIP extract and criminal record certificate for a Spanish residence permit.

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.

When applying online through Mercurio or the UGE platform, documents and translations are uploaded as files. These platforms publish no specific official rule on accepting electronic sworn translations: if in doubt, upload a scan of the stamped paper translation.

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 in Moscow?

Yes: from a sworn translator of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including one living in Russia, or by having a finished translation certified at the Spanish consulate in Moscow and then legalised at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The consulate itself does not translate documents.

Does Spain accept a notarised translation from Russia?

No. The Spanish Consulate in Moscow states that a notarised translation is official only for Russia, and it 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. Certifying a translation at the Spanish consulate in Moscow costs RUB 2,698 per sheet in the third quarter of 2026.

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.
• Consulate General of Spain in Moscow: legalisation, translation and consular fees.
• Ministry of Science: translations for homologation; Ministry of Justice: translation of documents for citizenship.

Checked against official sources on 15 September 2026.