Apostille & Legalization Assistance for Americans & Britons

What an apostille is and who needs one

Both the United States and the United Kingdom are parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, as is Spain. This means a document issued in the US or UK can be authenticated with a single certificate — the apostille — that Spanish authorities are legally required to recognize without further legalization through an embassy. Without it, a foreign public document generally will not be accepted for official use in Spain.

Common documents that need an apostille for use in Spain include birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, FBI or ACRO criminal record checks, university diplomas and transcripts, corporate documents (articles of incorporation, powers of attorney), and death certificates.

Eligibility and where to request it

United States

Where you request the apostille depends on which authority issued the original document. State-issued documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, state court documents) are apostilled by that state's Secretary of State office. Federal documents (FBI background checks, documents from federal courts) are apostilled by the US Department of State's Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C.

United Kingdom

UK documents are apostilled centrally by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office, regardless of which part of the UK issued the underlying document.

After apostille, most documents also require a certified Spanish translation by a sworn translator (traductor jurado) recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs before they can be used in Spanish procedures.

Required documents

• Original document or certified copy (photocopies are generally not accepted)
• Completed apostille request form for the relevant authority (e.g., DS-4194 for US federal documents)
• Payment of the applicable government apostille fee
• Sworn Spanish translation, arranged separately, once the apostille is affixed

Timeline & fees

For the full step-by-step walkthrough — including which US office handles state vs. federal documents and current UK FCDO turnaround — see our detailed guide: Apostilling US and UK Documents for Use in Spain →

What we help with

We help clients identify exactly which documents need apostilling for their specific application, whether for an NIE by proxy, a property purchase, or a Criminal Record Certificate, coordinate the apostille request with the correct US or UK authority, and arrange certified sworn translation into Spanish. This is often one of the first practical steps for clients pursuing a Family Reunification or Company Registration case, both of which typically require several apostilled documents.