Certified Translation of Civil Documents

Civil documents are those that certify the most important events in a person's life: birth, marriage, divorce, death, or residence. When these documents must be submitted to a foreign institution, or when a foreign civil document needs to be legally valid in Spain, the law requires them to be accompanied by a certified translation of civil documents signed and stamped by a sworn translator accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEC).

This collection brings together the ten most frequently requested civil documents.

Certified Translation of a Birth Certificate

The certified translation of a birth certificate is one of the most commonly requested services. It is needed to:

• Register a child in the civil registry of one of the parents' countries of origin
  
• Apply for dual nationality
  
• Complete international adoption procedures
  
• Apply for Spanish nationality
  
• Carry out all types of consular procedures
  

Many users search for how to translate a birth certificate or where to get a birth certificate translated. The answer is always through an official sworn translator, not a generic translation service.

The source document may be a full birth certificate, a multilingual birth certificate, a bilingual birth certificate, or a birth record; all of these are valid source documents for a certified translation.

Mc LEHM express delivers certified translations of birth certificates in PDF format with a digital signature and stamp within 24 hours, starting from €17.95.

Certified Translation of a Marriage Certificate

A certified translation of a marriage certificate is required for family reunification procedures, surname changes due to marriage before foreign registries, inheritance procedures involving a spouse of another nationality, and family visa applications.

The certified translation of the marriage certificate must accurately reproduce all the information contained in the certificate, including the full names of the spouses, the date and place of marriage, the matrimonial property regime where applicable, and the details of the issuing registry.

Certified Translation of a Divorce Decree

A certified translation of a divorce decree or certified translation of a divorce certificate is necessary when one of the former spouses wishes to marry in another country, when dealing with an international succession process, or when it is necessary to prove marital status before a foreign authority.

It is also commonly required when the divorce was granted abroad and must be recognised in Spain through the corresponding exequatur procedure.

Certified Translation of a Death Certificate

A https://express.mc-lehm.com/en/products/sworn-translation-death-certificate is primarily requested for international inheritance proceedings, the cancellation of contracts or financial products held by the deceased with foreign institutions, and consular procedures for the repatriation of remains or the processing of survivor's pensions in countries that have a bilateral agreement with Spain.

Certified Translation of a Certificate of Residence Registration

A certified translation of a certificate of residence registration (empadronamiento certificate) is one of the most frequently requested documents for residence procedures abroad and visa applications that require proof of a person's habitual address in Spain.

It is also required in certain international notarial procedures and for registration with foreign authorities.

Certified Translation of a Will

A certified translation of a will is necessary when the deceased owned assets in another country or when the heirs reside abroad.

It is essential for the will to have legal effect before notaries or registries in other countries.

Certified Translation of a Certificate of Life and Marital Status

A certified translation of a certificate of life and marital status confirms that a person is alive and states their marital status at the time the certificate is issued.

Its certified translation is commonly required for receiving pensions abroad, maintaining benefits from international organisations, and proving personal status before financial institutions in other countries.

Certified Translation of an Apostille under the Hague Convention

Although the Hague Apostille is itself a certificate of authenticity and not strictly a civil document, it often accompanies civil documents that must be submitted in countries that are parties to the 1961 Hague Convention.

The certified translation and the Hague Apostille are two separate procedures:

• 
  The apostille authenticates the signature of the official who issued the document.
  
• 
  The certified translation translates the content of the document.
  

When the receiving authority is located in a Spanish-speaking country that does not require a translation, the apostille alone is sufficient. When the receiving authority requires the document in another language, both the apostille and the certified translation are necessary.

Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry and Certificate of Registered Partnership

A certificate of legal capacity to marry confirms that a person meets the legal requirements to marry under Spanish law. Its translation is required when the marriage is to take place abroad.

A certificate of registered partnership serves a similar purpose in countries that recognise this legal status for family reunification procedures or social benefits.

How Much Does a Certified Translation of Civil Documents Cost?

The price of a certified translation of civil documents at Mc LEHM express starts from €17.95 for standard-length documents such as:

• Birth certificates
  
• Marriage certificates
  
• Death certificates
  
• Certificates of residence registration (empadronamiento certificates)
  
• Certificates of life and marital status
  
• Certified translations of the Hague Apostille
  
• Certificates of legal capacity to marry or registered partnership certificates
  

Longer documents, such as a will or a divorce decree, start from €22.95.

The entire service operates online: there is no need to send the original paper document or visit an office. The customer uploads the document, confirms the order, and receives the certified translation in PDF format with a digital signature and stamp by email.

If you are looking for affordable certified translations or cost-effective certified translations of civil documents, the online model of MC LEHM Express eliminates the overhead costs of a traditional agency and makes it possible to offer competitive prices without compromising quality or the legal validity of the document.

In Which Languages Are Certified Translations of Civil Documents Available?

Mc LEHM Express provides certified translations of civil documents between Spanish and the most requested languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. If you require a translation into another language, you can submit an official request here.

The most common language combination in this category is a birth certificate translated into English or a certified translation of a birth certificate into English. However, requests for French translations of birth certificates are also very common, particularly for procedures involving countries in North Africa and French-speaking European Union member states.

For documents originating from Eastern European countries—especially Romanian birth certificates—the team works with sworn translators who specialise in that language combination. The same applies to documents in Arabic, Chinese, and Russian that need to be submitted to Spanish authorities with full legal validity.

What Is the Legal Validity of a Certified Translation of a Civil Document?

A certified translation of civil documents has full legal validity before any authority that requires it in Spain or abroad, including civil registries, consulates, embassies, notaries, courts, and public administrations.

The translation itself does not have an intrinsic expiry date, although some authorities require the original translated document to have been issued within a specific period, generally three or six months prior to submission.

The official translation of documents provided by Mc LEHM Express includes:

• The sworn translator's certification statement
  
• Their digital signature
  
• Their registration number on the official list of sworn translators maintained by the MAEC
  
• Their official stamp
  

These elements are what give the document full legal force, unlike a non-certified translation or the use of automatic tools to translate official documents.

Is It Mandatory to Translate Civil Documents?

The obligation to translate civil documents arises whenever the receiving authority operates in a language different from that of the original document.

In Spain, any foreign document submitted to the Civil Registry, a notary, a court, or a public administration must be accompanied by a certified translation into Spanish.

Conversely, if a Spanish civil document must be presented to an institution in another country, it must be translated into that country's language by a sworn translator or an official document translator recognised by the local authorities.

Can I use machine translation for official civil documents?

No. No public body, notary office, consulate, or civil registry accepts as valid a translation of official documents made using automatic tools or by unauthorized translators.

Searches such as translate official documents for freeor how to translate a birth certificate online reflect a legitimate question, but the answer is always the same: the only official translation of documents with legal validity in Spain is one signed and sealed by a sworn translator accredited by the MAEC (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation).

Attempting to submit a machine translation or a non-sworn translation can lead to the rejection of the application and the loss of the deadline for the procedure.

Birth Certificate: Literal, Multilingual, Bilingual, or Extract—Which do I need to translate?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions.

• The literal birth certificate is the complete document that fully reproduces the registry entry.
• The multilingual birth certificate or bilingual birth certificateis already issued in several official EU languages and in many cases does not require a sworn translation within the European Economic Area.

However, outside the EU (or when the receiving body expressly requires it), a sworn translation will be necessary, even for a multilingual certificate.

If you have doubts about which format the receiving body accepts, consult with Mc LEHM express before placing your order.

Real use cases by document

For the birth certificate: application for dual nationality, registration of those born abroad in the Spanish Civil Registry, international adoption processes, family reunification, procedures to obtain Spanish nationality by residency or by origin.

For the marriage certificate: spouse visas, change of surnames in foreign registries, inheritances with assets abroad, application for international widow's benefits.

For the divorce decree: new marriage abroad, recognition of a foreign divorce in Spain (exequatur), accreditation of marital status before international bodies, family reunification procedures when one of the parents holds custody.

For the certificate of registration (empadronamiento): application for residence or work permits abroad, visas that require proof of habitual address, consular procedures in Spain for foreign citizens.

For the will: opening of succession in countries with assets of the deceased, recognition of the testator's wishes before foreign notary offices, processing of international inheritances.

For the Hague Apostille: whenever the civil document must be presented in a country that is a signatory to the Convention and the receiving body requires that both the original and the apostille be translated into the local language.

Do I need an apostille in addition to a sworn translation?

The Hague Apostilleand the sworn translationare distinct procedures.

The apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature of the official who issued the document; the sworn translation translates its content.

Some countries require both; others only the translation. If your procedure requires a translated and legalized birth certificate or any other civil document with both procedures, Mc LEHM express can guide you: first the original is apostilled, and then the apostilled version is translated.