Legalisation requirements for Spain
Spain is a member of the Hague Convention of 1961 and the FCDO Apostille only should suffice for documents to be used in Spain.
Important Notes for Spain
All UK original public documents (e.g. GRO certificates, ACRO, Medical Report, etc.) must be Apostilled attesting to the UK public official’s signature directly. Such documents if certified by a notary public or solicitor will not be accepted in Spain.
ACRO Requirements
ACRO Certificate is the only UK Criminal Records certificate accepted by the Spanish authorities and the FCDO Apostille must attest to the ACRO Officer’s signature.
Medical Reports / Doctor Letter Requirements
The Apostille on Medical Reports must attest to the wet-signature of the medical practitioner who in this case must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) but also have their specimen signature registered in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) database to be Apostilled.
If the doctor’s signature is not registered on the FCDO database, they will need to verify the authenticity of the signature with the Surgery/Medical Practitioner in order to Apostille the medical report. The certification by a solicitor or notary public is not accepted by the Spanish authorities on medical reports/certificates.
We can assist you in obtaining the medical report for Spanish visa through our partners. We offer a same day service for medical reports and all doctors are registered with the UK FCDO for an Apostille to be issued without any delays. Click here to Order Medical Report for Spain
Educational Documents Requirements
Academic documents issued in the United Kingdom must be legalised in order to be valid in Spain. The legalisation process confirms the authenticity of both the document and the signature through two stages. First, the document must be certified either by a Solicitor or a Notary Public. In the UK, academic certificates and degrees are not considered public documents, therefore certification by a legal professional is required before legalisation can proceed.
Both Solicitor and Notary Public certifications are accepted, provided they explicitly confirm that the authenticity of the document has been verified directly with the issuing educational institution. Statements such as “This is a true copy” or “This is an original degree certificate” are not sufficient on their own. The recommended wording is: “I have verified the authenticity of this document with the issuing institution.” Once properly certified, the document can then be submitted to the UK Legalisation Office for the Hague Apostille.
Other Documents
Other UK documents which are not ink signed or sealed by UK public officials, must be certified by UK notary public or solicitor as per the FCDO guidelines.
Hague Apostille Fees
The FCDO Apostille Disbursement fee is:
- £40 for Standard & Express
- £100 for Premium (Restrictions apply)
- £35 for e-Apostille (Restrictions apply)
Apostille Processing Times
Turnaround time is likely to be:
- Standard: 5 working days
- Express: Next-Day Service (If document arrives by 11:15 am)
- Premium: 2-3 hours
- e-Apostille: 1-2 working days
Apostille Processing Terms
Express: For the Express Apostille Next-Day Service (paper-based Apostille), we must receive the original documentation by 11:15 am am to be despatched the next working day. If the document arrived after 11:15 am it will be processed on the next-working day.
Premium: The Premium Apostille is a restrictive service the FCDO can provide for a few eligible types of documents and they require evidence to support the urgency requirement. Please contact our legalisation team for further details.
e-Apostille: Documents eligible for the e-Apostille must be first e-notarised with an Advanced Electronic Signature (AES) or a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES).
CONSULATE ADDRESS
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