Spanish-speaking staff helping a customer with apostille and visa documents in San Jose
SpainHague Apostille member
Documents for Spain · San Jose · Atendemos en español

Apostille for Spain in San Jose
nationality, family & visa records

Applying for Spanish nationality or a visa? Our Spanish-speaking team notarizes, apostilles, and arranges the sworn Spanish translation Spain requires, with same-day service available.

Is Spain a Hague country? Yes

Spain has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 1978, so a single California Secretary of State apostille makes your U.S. documents valid there — no Spanish consulate legalization needed. Our Spanish-speaking team notarizes, apostilles, and arranges the sworn Spanish translation Spain requires for birth, marriage, FBI, degree, and power-of-attorney documents in San Jose.

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528
No consulate step In by 10 AM, ready by 6 PM Spanish-speaking staff
1 Step
Apostille, No Consulate
Same-Day
Apostille Available
Sworn Spanish
Translation Arranged
CA Sec. of State
Official Authentication
What you’ll need apostilled

Every document Spain asks for
handled in one place

Whatever you’re doing in Spain, the document needs a California apostille first. Here’s what we apostille most — tap one for details.

Single Status Affidavit

Proof you’re free to marry — for getting married or registering a marriage in Spain.

Single status apostille →

Birth Certificate

For Spanish nationality, family records, and visa applications.

Birth certificate apostille →

Marriage Certificate

To register or recognize a U.S. marriage with the Spanish registry.

Marriage certificate apostille →

FBI Background Check

For the digital-nomad and non-lucrative visas and residence files. We handle the federal apostille for you.

FBI apostille for your visa →

Power of Attorney

To manage property, a pension, or banking on your behalf in Spain.

Power of attorney apostille →

Diploma & Degree

For the digital-nomad visa, degree recognition, and study in Spain.

Diploma apostille →
Apostille vs. legalization

For Spain, you need an apostille
not consulate legalization

Spain has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 1978 — which decides your whole process: U.S. documents need one authentication, a California apostille, to be accepted across Spain. There’s no second trip to a Spanish consulate for legalization.

Documents headed to a non-Hague country need a longer consular-legalization chain. Because Spain is a member, an apostille for Spain is faster, cheaper, and final. Most Spanish offices want a sworn Spanish translation (traducción jurada) — our Spanish-speaking team prepares your documents and arranges the sworn translation Spain requires.

Not sure which path your country needs? See our guide to apostille vs. legalization.

Sworn Spanish translation prepared alongside a California-apostilled document for use in Spain
The short answer

Spain = apostille. One California Secretary of State apostille (or a U.S. Department of State federal apostille for your FBI report), with the sworn Spanish translation Spain requires, and your document is ready for any Spanish consulate, registry, or office — no extra legalization.

How it works

Four steps to a document
Spain will accept

1

Bring or prepare the document

We notarize affidavits and powers of attorney on site, or you bring certified vital records and your FBI report.

2

Sworn Spanish translation

Spain usually requires a sworn translation (traducción jurada). Our Spanish-speaking team prepares your documents and arranges it, kept with your original.

3

Apostille it

State documents go through the California Secretary of State; FBI reports get a federal apostille. You handle neither.

4

Pick up or ship

Collect in San Jose the same day on rush, or we ship it tracked to you or to Spain.

On a deadline for Spain?

Walk in today, leave with
an apostilled, translated document

Same-day California apostille and the sworn Spanish translation Spain needs, handled together. Call or book and we’ll tell you what to bring.

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528
Why people need it

Common reasons you’ll need
a Spain apostille

Getting married in Spain

Single-status affidavit and birth certificate apostilled for the marriage registry.

Spanish nationality by descent

Apostilled U.S. birth and marriage records to support a Spanish nationality claim.

Digital Nomad Visa

FBI background check and birth certificate apostilled and translated for your DNV application.

Property, pension & banking

Power of attorney apostilled so someone can sign, sell, or claim a pension for you.

Non-lucrative visa

Income, bank, and FBI records apostilled and translated for a non-lucrative (retirement) visa.

Working or studying there

Diploma and transcripts apostilled for employers, universities, and degree recognition.

Simple pricing

Standard apostille from $85
call or come in for the rest

Every order includes a document reviewed for the receiving office and the California Secretary of State authentication. For priority, rush, same-day, sworn Spanish translation, and notarization, call or visit for an exact price — no surprises.

$85Standard, starting
Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528

Prefer mail? Order an apostille online and ship your documents to us.

Why choose us

One office for
the whole document

Most services authenticate the paper and stop — you still hunt for a notary, then a translator. We do all three in San Jose — in Spanish — and partner with TruPoint Legal for deeper legal needs.

Multilingual staff greeting a customer at the San Jose apostille, notary, and translation office

Notarize, translate & apostille in one place

No running between a notary, a translator, and Sacramento — built right the first time.

Same-day when you can’t wait

Same-day California apostille keeps tight travel and consulate dates on track.

Real Spanish-speaking help

We explain every step in Spanish, prepare your documents, and arrange the sworn Spanish translation Spain requires — our staff speaks English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Spanish.

Bonded California notary in-house

Quinnie Do reviews each document for the receiving office, which means fewer rejections in Spain.

“My Spain Digital Nomad Visa needed my FBI check and birth certificate apostilled and translated. They handled the sworn Spanish translation and apostilles in one visit — no consulate.”

— Álvaro G., San Jose
Quinnie Do, owner of Fingerscan Digital and bonded California notary in San Jose
Prepared by

Quinnie Do

Owner, Fingerscan Digital Inc.

Bonded & commissioned California Notary Public, IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent, and registered California Immigration Consultant. Quinnie and her multilingual team have handled Bay Area apostilles for marriages, visas, and nationality since 2020.

Related services

Single Status Affidavit Apostille → FBI Apostille for Spain (Visas & Work) → Order an Apostille by Mail → All Apostille Services →
Common questions

Apostille for Spain
questions, answered straight

Is Spain part of the Hague Apostille Convention?
Yes. Spain has been a member since 1978, so U.S. documents only need a single apostille from the California Secretary of State to be accepted there. You do not need a separate legalization from a Spanish consulate or embassy.
Do I need a Spanish consulate to legalize my documents?
No. Because Spain accepts apostilles, the California apostille is the final step — there’s no consulate legalization. That’s faster and cheaper than the chain non-Hague countries require.
Do my documents need to be translated into Spanish?
Usually yes. Spain typically requires a sworn Spanish translation (traducción jurada) by an accredited translator. Our Spanish-speaking team prepares your documents and arranges the sworn translation, so nothing is rejected at the counter.
What documents do I need apostilled to get married in Spain?
Typically a single status affidavit and your birth certificate, both apostilled and translated into Spanish. Requirements vary by notary, so confirm with the Spanish office handling your case, then bring the documents to us.
What documents do I need for the Spain Digital Nomad Visa?
Usually an apostilled FBI background check and birth certificate, plus your degree and proof of remote work, each translated into Spanish. We notarize, apostille, and arrange the sworn translation in one place — see our FBI apostille for Spain page for the background check.
How fast can I get a Spain apostille?
Standard runs about 30 days, with priority, rush, and same-day options for tighter deadlines. On same-day service you can walk in and leave with the finished, translated document the same day.
How much does an apostille for Spain cost?
Standard is $85 (about 30 days), Priority $200 (about 2 weeks), Rush $350 (3 to 5 business days) and Same-Day $450 when you drop off by 10 AM. Extras, such as sworn Spanish translation and notarization, are quoted when you call or come in — so you get an exact price for your documents, with no surprises. The seal is identical at every speed, so if your date is months out, take the standard tier and keep the money.
My consulate appointment took months to get. What must not go wrong?
Spanish consulate slots are scarce, and losing one to a document problem costs months rather than days. The three things that do it: an uncertified copy, a translation done before the apostille instead of after, and a document that has aged past what the consulate accepts. All three are avoidable, and all three are checked before we submit anything.
Does the sworn translation have to be done by a traductor jurado?
For most consulate filings, yes — Spain generally expects a sworn translation by a traductor jurado appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ask your consulate whether they accept one prepared here or require one from their list, before you pay for either. The order is fixed regardless: apostille first, translate second.
Can you apostille my Spanish birth certificate or libro de familia?
No. A California apostille only goes on a document issued by a California authority. A Spanish civil record is authenticated in Spain under their own process. What we seal are your U.S. records — a California vital record, an FBI background check, a notarized affidavit.
Do I need a state apostille or a federal one?
It depends on the issuer. A California birth or marriage certificate, a diploma or a notarized affidavit is a state record. An FBI Identity History Summary is federal and authenticated in Washington, D.C. instead — and for the NLV and digital nomad visa you will usually need both routes. Our FBI apostille for Spain page covers the federal side.
How recent do my documents need to be for Spain?
Spanish consulates typically want recently issued records, and the apostille does not reset that. A new seal on an old certificate does not make the certificate new. Order the underlying records close to your appointment rather than months ahead, and check the accepted age with your consulate first.
My spouse and children are applying with me.
Each applicant generally needs their own records, plus the marriage and birth certificates that connect you. We handle the family packet in one visit so everything carries the same date and nothing ages out while the rest catches up.
I am applying for Spanish nationality by descent. Same documents?
The U.S. side is similar — apostilled birth and marriage certificates establishing the line — but the Spanish-issued records in your file are handled in Spain. Bring the consulate’s checklist and we will tell you which items are ours to seal and which are not.
Can I mail my documents in?
Yes. Send the certified originals to our San Jose office and we return the sealed documents. Same-day is the exception, since it depends on the document physically reaching us by 10 AM.
What usually gets a Spain document refused?
A translation done before the seal rather than after, a photocopy where a certified copy was required, an underlying record the consulate considers too old, or a federal document sent to the state office. The translation order catches more applicants than anything else.
Ready when you are

Get your documents ready
for Spain, in San Jose

Walk into our San Jose office to notarize, translate, and apostille in one visit, or order online and we’ll ship it back — same-day available.

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528

California Secretary of State apostille service by Fingerscan Digital Inc. · 434 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose, CA 95123 · (408) 766-3528 · Serving San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas and the Bay Area. For business and bulk document authentication, visit fingerscan-digital.com. Last updated June 2026.

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Document guides

Which document are you authenticating?

Requirements differ by document type. Each guide covers what counts as a certified copy, whether notarization is needed first, and how long the California route takes.