Good to know · City hall
Sworn/certified translations (traducción jurada) for official use in Spain
Many Spanish administrative procedures require foreign documents to be translated into Spanish by a traductor jurado (sworn translator) officially accredited by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación), rather than by any bilingual translator.
- Why it matters
- A standard US translation agency’s certified translation is generally not the same as a Spanish traducción jurada; using the wrong type of translation can cause a visa or registry application to be rejected.
- When
- Submitting apostilled US civil, academic, or background-check documents to a Spanish consulate, civil registry, university, or other official body that requires a Spanish-language version.
- How long it takes
- Varies; straightforward documents (birth/marriage certificates) are often turned around faster than lengthy diplomas or transcripts.
- Official page
- Traductores-Intérpretes Jurados
- Last checked
- 22 Oct 2026
In the guide: the 4 steps, what to bring (2 items), the office with addresses and hours, and tips and what to watch for, with every official source.