Refer to this section to find answers to customers’ most common questions. We update this page on monthly basis. If you cannot find an answer to what you are looking for, please submit your request via our Contact Us form. Thanks!
Once your order is confirmed, our Project Manager will get in touch with you via e-mail confirming your order completion date. As general guidance, single-page certificates will be returned to you within 48 hours from order date while longer documents might take more (5-7 working days).
In any case, this date may vary depending on the team’s workload and we will always try to shorten completion periods when possible.
We provide free shipping on all orders to Spain. You should expect delivery within 48-72hr after your translation is shipped. In addition to this, we will send your translation via email for you to use as early as you need to (PDF format with official e-signature).
For overseas orders, we will send you just an email copy in PDF (certified with official e-signature) that you can simply print and present in paper as needed. In some cases, you may not even have to print this file (e.g. online applications).
Always check with your translation recipient entity their translations acceptance requirements before placing an order.
Certified translations with digital e-signature are exactly the same as original translations (wet-ink signature originals). They are certified, signed and stamped by a certified translator (traductor jurado), approved by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
Since 2020 on, Spanish authorities accept digitally-signed translation copies in addition to wet-ink signature originals. You will simply need to print your translation received via e-mail and present it in paper to them. Important: they will not accept a digital file. This format is backed by Spanish Law 39/2015 passed on 1 October on Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administration.
Your order is confirmed when payment has been received and you have supplied all documents needed to start your translation project.
If you are buying a certified translation from our Translation Store, you will be able to upload your documents in the checkout page. If you used the Contact Us form instead, you can upload your documents in your response e-mail when accepting your quotation.
If you are awaiting for your final document (e.g. Apostille), you can let us know in the Additional Info field at checkout and we will put your order on hold until receiving your final document to translate.
When you click on “Place an Order”, an order confirmation page will load with order details. In addition to this, you will receive an order confirmation email in the address provided. If you do not see an order confirmation page or you do not receive an order confirmation email, you can consider your order did not go through successfully. Please try again or Contact Us via our online form.
We accept payment via credit card and PayPal.
Our Project Manager will review your order details and will give you a reply within 48hr from order date to confirm your translation(s) completion date as well as to request any missing information that we might need to start working on your project.
Get in touch via our Contact Us form with your details and we will take a look at your case.
If you are waiting for an Apostille or signature legalisation, we suggest to wait until your legalisation process has ended before submitting a translation request. This is very important as the Apostille must appear in your final certified translation.
We do not take any responsibility for the submission of incomplete original documents that could potentially result in the future invalidation or non-acceptance of your translation.
If you have already submitted your translation request but you think your original document might change, don’t worry! Simply contact us as soon as possible so we can pause your project delivery date until you obtain updated documents. Please note order completion date may vary in this case.
Our Team will start working on your project once we have all the needed documents from you. Please note your project completion date is always conditioned to us receiving your documents.
Due to the nature of this service, we do not generally accept refund requests after the service has been completed. We consider a service has been complete when your translation has been sent to you via email within the agreed timeframe (excluding shipping date period for your originals to arrive to you).
Notwithstanding the above, we are happy to issue a refund for your order in some cases, including the non-fulfillment of your translation project within the agreed timeframe or due to major translation errors made on our side. Please refer to our Purchase Terms and Conditions detailing a definition of major errors here.
We will also reject the service and refund your order immediately if we cannot fulfill it due to the submission of inaccurate, tampered, forged, incorrect or incomplete information as well as other reasons such as inability to find a translator for your case. This decision will be made by our Project Manager upon reviewing your order.
A certified translation is a document delivered by a professional translator that certifies the validity and accuracy of the content of a document written in another language. Depending on the country, this profession can be subject to regulation. Certified translators are also known as official or sworn translations, or “traductor jurado” in Spain.
In Spain, all official translations must be delivered by a registered translator (known as “traductor jurado”). They are professional translators that are accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. They are the only figures authorized to give documents validity in Spain.
Registered translators have a license number and their translations must follow specific requirements such as adding the translator signature, stamp and certification as well as attaching a copy of the original document to the translation.
Obtaining a certified translation is usually the last step in the document legalisation process, after Apostille or signature validation.
Absolutely! We are a team of certified translators appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our translations are valid across all Spanish public and private bodies.
Certainly! We are a team of certified translators appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our translations are valid across all Spanish public and private bodies, including overseas Spanish Consulate Offices and Embassies.
First things first! Translation validity usually boils down to 2 factors:
1. Your translation recipient entity. You should know that they are responsible for setting their own translation acceptance and validity requirements. We strongly advise you to contact them and verify their specific requirements before ordering a translation.
2. Whether this profession is regulated in your translation recipient country. If the figure of an “official translator” is not regulated in this country, overseas-produced translations will usually be valid (for example, US). However, you might need to resort to a local translator if this is a regulated profession (i.e. Spain).
Having said that, what can we guarantee?
We certify the full validity of our translations across Spanish public and private bodies, as well as overseas Spanish Consulates and Embassies and EU Member States* (*as long as you do not need a notarized translation). If your document is bound to a different country, you must check with your translation recipient authority about their translation validity and acceptance requirements.
We have compiled this table to help you understand translation validity per country:
| Doc issued in | Doc bound to | Translation valid? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any country | Spain | Yes | Spanish public and private bodies and institutions, including all Spanish Consulates and Embassies in any country. |
| Spain | An EU member country | Yes | As set in Chapter III, Article 6 of the The Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016, “a certified translation carried out by a person qualified to do so under the law of a Member State shall be accepted in all Member States”. |
| An EU member country | An EU member country | Yes | As set in Chapter III, Article 6 of the The Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016, “a certified translation carried out by a person qualified to do so under the law of a Member State shall be accepted in all Member States”. |
| Spain | UK US | Yes* | *As long as you don’t need a notarized translation (notary certification) |
| Spain | Any other country different from above | Check with your recipient entity | Check with your document recipient entity. |
Any country different from Spain | Any other country different from above | Check with your recipient entity | Check with your document recipient entity. |
Yes, they are valid as long as you need a regular certified translation and not a notarized translation. The EU Regulation 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council passed on 6 July 2016 clearly specifies that all EU Member States must accept certified (sworn) translations delivered by any other EU Member State.
Our certified translations meet all formalities and requirements as set by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. This includes adding a certification at the end of the translation, as well as the stamp and signature of the translator and a dated and sealed copy of the original document provided for its translation.
Usually, your recipient entity will match the certified translation with the original document the translation was based on to ensure this translation fully relates to the source document. That’s why certified translations are accompanied by a copy of your original document supplied.
No, they do not. Certified translators are not responsible for the original document validity neither do they certify that the original is a true document. They only certify that the translation is a complete and true transcript of the original document provided.
Certified translations do not have an expiry date in Spain. However, please note the original document your translation is based on might do (i.e. police reports in Spain have a validity of 3 months from issue date). If your translation is bound to a non-Spanish entity, check with them beforehand about their translations acceptance requirements and document validity period.
No, we do not provide notarized translations. This might be requested in some countries (i.e. US or some EU countries). Please check with your recipient entity what they need.
If they need a notarized translation, this is usually performed booking a signature validation appointment at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (if you are in Spain) or an overseas Consulate Office or Embassy (if you live overseas). This should be booked with them after obtaining your certified translation from a Spain-registered translator (“traductor jurado”).
Contact Us with your order confirmation number ASAP and send us a revised document with a relation of changes appearing on it versus the previous document supplied. This new document will override your previous one provided.
Important: We do not accept any changes in a translation after it has been delivered to you (email or shipped) unless edits are required due to a translation mistake from our side or you need to make a minor change on it (i.e. change of date, a specific word). Spanish Official Translations is not responsible for any translation errors that could have resulted in the invalidity of our translation due to inaccurate, tampered, forged, incorrect or incomplete original documents supplied for their translation.
If your change is not motivated by any of the reasons mentioned above, we reserve the right to charge an additional fee to adjust your translation accordingly. We apologize for any inconvenience on this.
Unfortunately, we do not on these grounds. You are responsible to contact your document recipient entity about their certified translations validity requirements before placing an order as they are the only responsible party to set their own requirements and this factor is uncontrollable from our side.
We make every possible effort to ensure you have a seamless experience using our translation service. We have also enabled several messages during your shopping journey at the website to alert you to contact your translation recipient entity first before proceeding to checkout so you can make a fully informed decision.
Document legalisation is a process whereby a public document becomes valid in another foreign country.
There are two ways of legalizing your document, depending on:
If your document has been issued in a country that subscribed to The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 (see here) and the recipient is a subscribing country too, you will need to apply for an Apostille. This is the most common way of legalisation.
An Apostille is a certification attached to your original document that authenticates a public official’s signature appearing on it. After obtaining an Apostille, you will apply for a certified translation (if you need it).
If the above case does not apply to you, you will need to go through what is called “signature validation”. In this case, you will need to pass your document through some authorities in your country and the Embassy/Consulate Office of the country your document is bound to for a full signature legalisation. In this case, you can apply to a certified translation before initiating your document legalisation.
In any case, you should check with your translation recipient authority about the specific legalisation process that might apply in your case.
Yes, depending on the country, this translation may be referred to as official, sworn or certified translation. However, it is essential that you check which authorities are approved to do this kind of translation in the country you are presenting this document on, as their translations requirements may vary.
This means certified translations produced by Spain-registered translators may not be valid in a given country.
Unfortunately, we do not engage on this on behalf of the document holder. You will need to go through document legalisation and then apply for a certified translation. This is usually the last step after your document legalisation (if your document requires an Apostille) or the first step in your document legalisation (for “signature legalisation”).
Not all documents need to go through Apostille legalization (or signature validation). This will depend on the type of document as well as the issuing and recipient country of it. You should always check with your recipient entity to learn about the specific requirements applying to your case.
If your document was issued in an EU Member State and it is bound to an EU Member State, there is a simplified process and you might not need an Apostille (see here). Please check with your recipient authority the doc legalisation and translation requirements for your specific case. This is also a document explaining the Apostille exemption to some public documents too.
Obtaining a certified translation is usually the last step in the document legalisation process. However, in some cases, you might need to legalize this translation to validate it in another country. This step consists into a public body recognizing the signature and stamp of the certified translator. In any case, you will not need this if your document is bound to Spain or most of EU member states.
If your document is bound to a different country, you can legalize (notarize) our translations in the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Spanish Consulate Office/Embassy in your country of residence.
You will receive it along with your certified translation in the same email. If you need any specific details to appear on it, please add them in the “additional information” section appearing at the bottom of the checkout page.
Reach out to us with your order confirmation number ASAP. Add your revised document to your email detailing the changes appearing on it versus the previous document provided. This new document will override your previous one.
Important: We do not accept any changes in a translation after it has been sent to you unless edits are required due to a translation mistake from our side or you need to make a minor change on it (i.e. change of date, a word). Spanish Official Translations is not responsible for any translation errors that could have resulted in the invalidity of our translation due to inaccurate, tampered, forged, incorrect or incomplete original documents supplied for their translation.
If your change is not motivated by any of the reasons mentioned above, we reserve the right to charge an additional fee to adjust your translation accordingly. We apologize for any inconvenience on this.
We will happily adjust your certified translation at no cost if we made a translation error on our side. Also, you will not be charged an additional fee for minor changes (i.e. change of a word, date and adjustments of similar nature). In addition to this, we will accept a new original document from you to base your translation on as long as your translation has not been delivered yet (and provided it is not a different document).
Spanish Official Translations is not responsible for any translation errors that could have resulted in the invalidity of our translation due to inaccurate, tampered, forged, incorrect or incomplete original documents supplied for their translation.
If your change is not motivated by any of the reasons mentioned above, we reserve the right to charge an additional fee to adjust your translation accordingly. We apologize for any inconvenience on this.
No problem! Since we will send you a copy of your translation via email, you can simply print as many copies as you need.
We provide free shipping on all orders to Spain. All you need to do is entering your Spanish postal address in the checkout page. Shipping will come from Correos Express and you should expect delivery within 48-72hr after your translation is ready. In addition to this, we will send your translation via email for you to use as early as you need to.
If you do not have a postal address in Spain where we can ship your translation to, we will send you just an email copy in PDF that you can print and present in paper as needed. In some case, you may not even have to print it (e.g. online applications). Always check with your translation recipient entity their translations acceptance requirements before placing an order.
E-mail received certified translations are exactly the same as original translations. They are certified, signed and stamped by a certified translator (traductor jurado), approved by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
Since 2020 on, Spanish authorities accept e-mail translations in addition to wet-ink signature originals. You will simply need to print your translation received via e-mail and present it in paper to them. Important: they will not accept a digital file. This format is backed by Spanish Law 39/2015 passed on 1 October on Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administration.
We endeavour to provide you with the best possible service and we apologise if you are not satisfied with our service.
We provide a 14-day money back guarantee in these cases:
1. We have incurred in a major translation error that results in the rejection or invalidation of the translation (conditions Apply, click here), or
2. We have missed our completion date (conditions Apply, click here).
Note: We decline any responsibility over any translation errors that could derive in the invalidation or rejection of the translation when they are motivated by the sending of inaccurate, incorrect, tampered, forged or incomplete documents provided by the Client for their translation.
We believe that every business, big and small, must make a contribution to make this a more just world. There are many ways to do this and we have chosen to support abandoned dogs.
Every day, more than 700 lovely companions are abandoned in Spain (source: National Geographic, Dec 2021). They are left on their own, unprotected, unsafe and unable to make a decision to lead the happy life they deserve. That’s why we collaborate with Ladridos Vagabundos and Tifa Grados Rescate Animal, two dog shelters associations that rescue dogs and promote responsible adoptions to give them a new happy life in a new family.
Your order contributes to give our lovely fluffy companions a second life where they can be happy. Because they deserve it.
1.5% of total proceeds (excl. VAT) are donated to these dog shelter associations.
We contribute to reduce carbon emissions by:
i) promoting a working from home policy. This removes potential staff commutting impact on the environment;
ii) providing e-certified translations and e-invoices. This reduces paper consumption and carbon emissions derived from delivery services;
iii) securing a green energy supplier. Our workplaces (homes) run on electricity generated through renewable sources.
We only provide translations in English and Spanish. We believe in specialization and this way, we are harnessing our strengths and ensuring our customers receive a fully correct, proofread and professional translation.
However, we partner with a network of certified translators in different languages and we may be able to help you find one. Simply get in touch via our Contact form and let us know.
Get in touch with us via our Contact Us form with your case and we will take a look.
Yes, we do. If that’s your case, please get in touch via our Contact Us form with your request and we will take a look at your case.
