Spanish Residence Permit · updated 12.07.2026

Criminal Record Certificate, Apostille and Sworn Translation for a Spanish Residence Permit

Updated: 12 July 2026 · Verified by the EuroGarant team against official sources

In short: every adult applicant for a Spanish residence permit must provide a criminal record certificate from the countries where they have lived in recent years: under the general immigration regime — for the last 5 years; under the grounds of Law Ley 14/2013 (digital nomad, entrepreneur, HQP) — for the last 2 years. The certificate must be apostilled in the country of issue and translated by a sworn translator — traductor jurado (a translator officially accredited by Spain). A mistake at any of the three stages means redoing the paperwork and losing weeks, so we walk through the whole route step by step: where to obtain it, how long it is valid, and in what order to prepare it.

Who needs the certificate and for which countries

The certificado de antecedentes penales (criminal record certificate) is a mandatory document for almost any initial Spanish residence permit: the digital nomad visa (DNV), the non-lucrative residence visa (NLV), the entrepreneur visa, family reunification. The rules are as follows:

• Age: the certificate is required for applicants aged 18 and over — it is not requested for minor children
• Geography: certificates are required from the countries where you have actually lived, not just your country of citizenship. If you spent the last five years in three countries, you will need three certificates, each with its own apostille and translation
• Look-back period: under the general regime (Reglamento de Extranjería, RD 1155/2024) — countries of residence over the last 5 years; under the grounds of Ley 14/2013 processed by UGE-CE (DNV, entrepreneur, highly qualified professionals) — over the last 2 years

A clean criminal record is a basic requirement of legal immigration, and one more argument for preparing your relocation in advance and by the book: we covered the entire process, from choosing your grounds to the TIE card (the physical residence card), in our guide "How to Get a Spanish Residence Permit".

Step 1. Obtain the criminal record certificate

For Russian citizens, the certificate is issued by the GIAC of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (via the ministry's regional information centres). The main ways to order it:

1. Gosuslugi (the Russian public services portal) — the fastest way to submit a request. For Spain you need a stamped paper original: when ordering, choose the paper format with pickup at a Ministry of Internal Affairs information centre or an MFC service centre, not just the electronic version.
2. An MFC or a Ministry of Internal Affairs information centre — in-person application; you receive a paper certificate with a signature and stamp.
3. A Russian consulate abroad — an option for those who have already left. The downside: the apostille on a Russian certificate is still affixed in Russia, so it is often more convenient to arrange the document through a representative acting under a notarised power of attorney.

The statutory issuance period is up to 30 calendar days; in practice, electronic requests are often processed faster. The certificate itself is issued free of charge.

For citizens of Kazakhstan, the criminal record certificate is issued by the Committee on Legal Statistics and Special Records of the General Prosecutor's Office (ordered via eGov or a CON public service centre) — the same body also apostilles the document. For other countries the principle is the same: the certificate is issued by the interior or justice authority of the country of residence, and the apostille procedure is confirmed locally. If launching requests from another country is inconvenient, the whole procedure can be handled turnkey — see ordering a criminal record certificate.

Step 2. Get the apostille

An apostille is a stamp that certifies a document's authenticity for use abroad under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. Russia, Kazakhstan and Spain are all parties to the convention, so an apostille is sufficient: consular legalisation is not required. If you plan to delegate this step, the stamping can be handled with our support — see apostille of documents for Spain.

• Who affixes it in Russia: the apostille on a Ministry of Internal Affairs certificate is affixed by the ministry's information centres — the same body that issued the document
• State fee: 2,500 ₽ per document (Art. 333.33 of the Russian Tax Code)
• Timeframe: usually up to five business days from the date the application is filed
• Where it goes: on the original certificate — ordering the translation before the apostille is pointless

Step 3. Order a sworn translation (traductor jurado)

Spain recognises translations produced by a sworn translator — traductor jurado — accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación). The official register of translators is published on exteriores.gob.es, where you can find a specialist for the Russian–Spanish language pair. If you would rather not search for a translator and double-check the requirements yourself, the translation of the certificate can be ordered turnkey — see sworn translation of documents.

• What certifies the translation: the sworn translator's signature and stamp — no additional notarisation is required
• Format: a translation with the translator's qualified electronic signature is accepted — convenient to order remotely from any country
• Scope: the entire document is translated, including the apostille, stamps and annotations
• Important: the notarised translation familiar from Russian procedures does not work for Spain — consulates and the Extranjería (the Spanish immigration office) require specifically a sworn translation

Separately, check the Latin spelling of your first and last name: the transliteration in the translation must match your international passport. A discrepancy of even a single letter is grounds for a formal refusal, so send the translator a copy of your passport in advance.

How long the certificate is valid and how to plan the timeline

Spanish consulates and the Extranjería generally accept a criminal record certificate issued no earlier than 3 months (90 days) before submission, unless the document itself states a different validity period. Some offices interpret the deadline more leniently, but you should plan around the strict 90 days — and order the certificate close to your submission date, not "in reserve".

The bottom line: allow 4–6 weeks from requesting the certificate to a ready set of documents. If you need several certificates (having lived in different countries), launch them in parallel, and schedule your submission appointment so that the "oldest" certificate does not expire in the meantime.

Typical mistakes that force documents to be redone

• The translation was ordered before the apostille — the stamp was left untranslated and the file was returned
• Only the electronic certificate was obtained from Gosuslugi — there is nothing to apostille, and the paper original has to be ordered all over again
• A notarised translation instead of a sworn one — it has no validity for Spain
• The certificate is older than 90 days on the submission date — especially frustrating when the cita previa queue has shifted
• The certificate was obtained only for the country of citizenship, while the countries of actual residence over the last 5 years (or 2 years for Ley 14/2013) were forgotten
• The transliteration of the name in the translation did not match the international passport

Each of these mistakes costs from two weeks to missing your submission appointment entirely. It is convenient to check the full list of documents for your grounds against our document checklist, and all current thresholds and timelines — in our guide to getting a Spanish residence permit.

What comes next: the certificate in a resident's life cycle

The good news: when renewing your residence permit, you are generally not required to collect certificates from the countries of your previous residence again — the state now looks at your "Spanish" history. However, at the stage of Spanish citizenship, the criminal record certificate from your country of origin will be needed again — with the same apostille and sworn translation, so the route from this article will come in handy once more. Other breakdowns of documents and grounds are in the section "Residence Permit in Spain".

Disclaimer: immigration rules and consular practice change, and requirements vary by grounds and region. This article is for reference purposes — before submitting your documents, you need an individual consultation on your specific situation.

Frequently asked questions on this topic

• What does the Extranjería check when reviewing a Spanish residence permit application?
• Which Spanish residence permit should you choose in 2026?
• Can you bring your family on a Spanish residence permit?
• When and how do you renew a Spanish residence permit?

Read also

• How to Choose the Grounds for a Spanish Residence Permit: Comparing the Options
• A Spanish Residence Permit and Long Absences from the Country
• How Relocation on the Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) Works

Official sources: BOE — Spanish legislation · Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs — register of sworn translators · HCCH — Hague Apostille Convention