Apostille Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and other cities)
In Spain, there is no single apostille authority: competence is divided by document type between colleges of notaries, High Courts of the Autonomous Communities, and the Ministry of Justice. Mistaking the authority is the most common reason for rejection and lost weeks. We determine the correct route and obtain the apostille without your travel, with sworn translation (traductor jurado) and delivery.
What is the Spanish apostille (Apostilla de La Haya)?
The Spanish apostille – is a stamp of the prescribed form, whose content and purpose are defined by the Hague Convention of 1961 (in Spain it is called «XII Hague Convention»). The apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature and the capacity of the signatory, as well as the seal of the issuing authority.
Spain ratified the Convention, and the apostille has been valid since 25 September 1978.
It is issued in Spanish with the mandatory French title «Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)».
Who affixes the apostille in Spain — by document type
| Document Type | Competent Authority |
|---|---|
| Notarial documents and private documents with notarially certified signatures (escrituras, poderes, actas) | College of Notaries — the dean of the corresponding Colegio Notarial |
| Judicial documents: court decisions, court certificates, documents from the Registro Civil issued by the court | Secretario de Gobierno of the High Court (TSJ) of the autonomous community, as well as Ceuta and Melilla |
| Administrative documents from state authorities | TSJ, Ministry of Justice (relevant citizen service unit) or Territorial Offices (Gerencias Territoriales) of the Ministry of Justice |
| University diplomas and official educational documents | Preliminary legalisation at the Ministry of Education / relevant body of the autonomous region, then apostille |
Convenient detail: the listed authorities can apostille a document regardless of which part of Spain it was issued in. That is, a certificate from Malaga can be apostilled in Madrid, and a notarized power of attorney from Valencia can be apostilled in the notary college of another region.
Timeline and cost of apostille in Spain (current as of 2026)
| Authority | Fee | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Justice / TSJ (judicial and administrative documents) | state fee for apostille is not charged | approximately 2–5 business days (depends on region and workload) |
| Notary college (notarial documents) | according to the college tariff — for example, College of Notaries of Catalonia: 25 € including VAT per document; amounts differ in other colleges | usually 1–3 business days |
| Electronic apostille (Ministry of Justice) | according to the service regulations | as a rule 2–5 business days |
Additional costs: obtaining the document itself, notarization, sworn translation (traductor jurado, accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain), and delivery.
Electronic apostille (apostilla electrónica) and verification
Spain is one of the countries with a developed system of electronic apostille. Through the electronic office of the Ministry of Justice (sede.mjusticia.gob.es) you can:
- request and download the electronic apostille, check the application status;
- verify the signature of the apostille and the integrity of the apostilled document;
- access the electronic register of apostilles (Registro Electrónico de Apostillas) — it daily includes apostilles issued by notary colleges. That is why the authenticity of any Spanish apostille can be verified online.
More details about the technology — on the page Electronic apostille. E-apostille. Before ordering, check whether the authority of the destination country accepts the electronic format.
Which Spanish documents are apostilled most often
- Certificates from Registro Civil: birth (certificado de nacimiento), marriage, death, certificate of marital status (fe de vida y estado);
- certificate of no criminal record — certificado de antecedentes penales (Ministry of Justice);
- diplomas from universities, titulo de bachiller, transcripts and certificates of education;
- notarial documents: powers of attorney (poder notarial), deeds of sale (escritura de compraventa), charters, minutes;
- corporate extracts from Registro Mercantil, tax residence certificates (AEAT), Social Security certificates;
- court decisions, including those on divorce and custody.
Text of the Spanish Apostille
Spanish (Original)
APOSTILLE
(Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)
1. País: ESPAÑA
El presente documento público
2. ha sido firmado por ___________________________
3. quien actúa en calidad de ________________
4. y está revestido del sello / timbre de ________________
Certificado
5. en __________________ 6. el día __________________
7. por ________________ (Ministerio de Justicia / Tribunal Superior de Justicia / Colegio Notarial)
8. bajo el número ____________________
9. Sello / timbre ________________ 10. Firma ________________
Translation of the Spanish Apostille into Russian
APOSTILLE (Hague Convention of 5 October 1961)
1. Country: SPAIN
This official document
2. Signed: __________________ (surname, first name)
3. Acting in the capacity of: _________________ (position)
4. Bearing the seal/stamp: ________________
Certified
5. Place: __________________ 6. Date: __________________
7. By: ________________ (Ministry of Justice / High Court of the Autonomous Community / College of Notaries)
8. No. ____________________
9. Seal/stamp ________________ 10. Signature ________________
Is an apostille needed for Spanish documents for EU countries?
Spain is an EU country, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 applies: for documents concerning birth, death, marriage, marital status, place of residence, and criminal record, when presented in another EU country an apostille is not needed — the original is sufficient, if necessary with a multilingual standard form.
For Convention countries outside the EU (Moldova, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Turkey, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and others) an apostille is mandatory. For non-Convention countries — consular legalization through MAEC and the consulate of the destination country.
Can an apostille be obtained at a Spanish consulate?
According to the Hague Convention, an apostille for Spanish documents cannot be obtained at a Spanish consulate abroad — only from designated authorities within the country. The consulate performs notarial acts and legalization of foreign documents, but does not affix an apostille to a Spanish document.
Frequently asked questions about the Spanish apostille
Is the apostille in Spain free?
No state fee is charged for an apostille at the Ministry of Justice and the High Courts. Fees arise at the notarial districts (according to their tariffs, e.g., €25 incl. VAT in Catalonia), as well as for ancillary services: obtaining the document, notarial acts, translation, delivery.
Where exactly should I submit my document?
Look at the “origin” of the document: notarial — to the notarial district; judicial or a certificate from the Registro Civil issued by a court — to the TSJ; administrative — to the Ministry of Justice/Gerencia Territorial; diploma — first legalization at the Ministry of Education. We determine the route based on scans before submission.
Can a Spanish apostille be verified online?
Yes — through the electronic apostille register of the Ministry of Justice: the number, signature, and document integrity are verified. This is a strong point of the Spanish system and a good argument for a skeptical authority abroad.
Is a sworn translation required?
If the document is going to Spain — yes, a traductor jurado is usually required. If a Spanish document goes abroad, the translation is done according to the rules of the destination country; most often, first an apostille, then a translation together with the apostille.
Order an apostille for Spanish documents
Registro Civil certificates, criminal record certificates, diplomas, notarial powers of attorney, and corporate documents — we determine the competent authority, obtain the apostille and sworn translation without your visit.
Phone / WhatsApp / Viber / Telegram: +373 67 666 333 · write on WhatsApp · Order an apostille · contact form · contacts
See also: Apostille countries · What is an apostille · Frequently asked questions about the apostille
Sources (official)
Ministerio de Justicia — Legalización única (Apostilla) · Apostilla electrónica — Servicio Público de Justicia · HCCH — competent authorities of Spain · Colegio Notarial de Cataluña — tariff. Data verified in July 2026; college tariffs vary by region and are specified when ordering.
Apostille in other European countries
Apostille United Kingdom · Apostille Ireland · Apostille Portugal · Apostille France · Apostille Czech Republic · Apostille Poland · Apostille Belgium · Apostille Germany · Apostille Croatia · Apostille Slovakia · Apostille Serbia
BUSINESS LIGA SRL · apostille.expert · +373 67 666 333 — the material has been reviewed and published in full.