Legalising UK documents for Spain

Spain is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. A UK apostille is sufficient. No Spanish consular stamp is required.

Apostille processing times:

Standard paper: ≈ 3-4 working days (plus post)
Express next-day: received by 9 am → dispatched next working day
Premium counter *: 2–3 hours once lodged (appointment needed)
e-Apostille: 24–48 hours from upload

* Premium same-day apostille – read this first.
The fast-track service is available for only a narrow range of documents. To use it, you must provide evidence of genuine urgency, and we must lodge the request with the FCDO by 4 p.m. on the previous working day.

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Key requirements for Spain

Public-office originals:
Birth, marriage, and death certificates (GRO), ACRO police checks, medical reports, and registry extracts—must be apostilled directly on the public official’s signature. The Spanish authorities reject versions that have been “re-certified” by a solicitor or notary.
ACRO only:
Spain will accept only the ACRO Criminal Records Certificate for visa or residency purposes; DBS or basic disclosures are not recognised. The apostille must cover the ACRO officer’s wet-ink signature and cannot be older than 6 months.
Medical reports:
The doctor must be GMC-registered and have their signature specimen held on the FCDO database. Spain does not accept solicitor or notary certification for medicals. (Need a compliant report fast? Get a same-day FCDO-registered medical certificate.)
Educational awards:
Spanish ministries insist that a UK FCDO-registered notary personally verify the degree with the issuing university and record that confirmation in the notarial certificate before the apostille is added.
Other private papers:
Where a UK public-office signature is absent (e.g., company resolutions, powers of attorney), use a UK FCDO-registered notary public. Spanish posts accept solicitor certifications only for visa document packs.
Translations:
Most end-users require a sworn Spanish translation attached behind (never over) the apostilled page. Arrange translation after legalisation so the apostille remains visible, although the apostille certificate itself does not need to be translated.

Popular price examples:

Document Type	Cost per document
Educational document + solicitor + apostille	from £120
Educational document + NOTARY + apostille	from £210
Birth, Marriage, Death + apostille	from £87
ACRO police certificate + apostille	from £87
Medical report or certificate + apostille	from £87
Sworn Spanish Translation	from £50