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Ministry legalization · Hague apostille

Consular legalization and document apostilles in Barcelona

Legalization of consular certificates at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) and apostille of Spanish documents.

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or call +34 613 590 909

Office in Barcelona 9:30 to 14:30
Carrer de Llançà 56, near Sants station

Legalization stamp of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a consular certificate

Consular legalization

Issued by your consulate, for use in Spain.

  1. 1Consular documentIssued by your country's consulate in Spain.
  2. 2Check in BarcelonaThe signature, condition and translation are checked.
  3. 3Ministry of Foreign AffairsIt is submitted to the Legalization Service in Madrid.
  4. 4DeliveryYou receive the legalized document.

For example: Marital status, certificate of life, certificate of law, criminal records.

How is a consular document legalized?

Hague apostille

Spanish public document, for use abroad.

  1. 1Spanish documentIssued by a Spanish administration, court or notary.
  2. 2Check in BarcelonaIt is checked whether it needs an apostille or legalization.
  3. 3ApostilleMinistry of Justice, High Court of Justice or Notaries' Association, depending on the document.
  4. 4DeliveryYou receive the apostilled document.

For example: Civil Registry certificates, criminal records, university degrees, notarial powers of attorney and court rulings.

How is a Spanish document apostilled?

Common documents

Which consular certificates are legalized at the Ministry?

Documents issued by foreign consulates in Spain must be legalized at the Legalization Service of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be valid here, unless an exemption applies. Check the consular certificates or the consulates this service works with.

  • Criminal record certificates
  • Consular non-registration certificates (negative nationality certificates)
  • Marital status certificates
  • Non-scholarship certificates
  • Certificates of life
  • Certificates of capacity to marry
  • Certificates of law
  • Certificates of identity concordance

Before sending it

Requirements to legalize a consular document in Spain

A mistake can mean another trip to the consulate. That is why these requirements are checked before your document is submitted in person at the Ministry in Madrid, every Tuesday.

  • It is the original document. Photocopies are not legalized.
  • It has a handwritten signature and the signatory's name and position. Electronically signed documents are not legalized.
  • If it is not in Spanish, it comes with its official translation, also signed by hand.
  • It is not laminated, altered or damaged.
  • It is within the validity period required by the Spanish authority where you will present it.

Can I legalize a document without going to Madrid?

Yes. You can submit it yourself in person, send it by post or courier, or have it handled for you. Legalizaciones & Apostillas checks your document in Barcelona and submits it in person at the Ministry every Tuesday, so you do not have to travel.

Did you send your document by post and it stayed at the Ministry? Legalizaciones & Apostillas can collect it with your authorization.

By post or in person?

By postIn person, on TuesdaysHow long does it take?About 15 working days from when the Ministry receives itLegalized on the spotWhat if there is an error?The document is held in MadridIt is caught earlier, during the check in BarcelonaAre envelopes needed?Yes, one to send it and one for the returnNo

Timeframes as stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

David Ovidio Giraldo Villanes, responsable de Legalizaciones & Apostillas

Who handles your document

David Ovidio Giraldo Villanes

David Ovidio Giraldo Villanes runs Legalizaciones & Apostillas and is studying for a Law degree at the University of Barcelona. He checks each document from clients of any country one by one in Barcelona and submits them in person at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid every Tuesday.

He knows the timeframes of each procedure: when the certificate can be requested from the consulate, how long it is valid and which dates the Spanish authority checks. If your document has been held at the Ministry, he collects it with your authorization.

How your documents are looked after

  • When you hand over your original document, you receive a delivery receipt.
  • Your data and documents are used only for your procedure. More information in the privacy policy.

How to find us

Consular document services in Barcelona, near Sants station

The office is at Carrer de Llançà 56, near Sants station and Tarragona metro station (L3).

+34 613 590 909
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Carrer de Llançà 56
08015 Barcelona

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