Ukrainian documents: apostille, sworn translation

Over two months this question, in various wordings, came up in Ukrainian Telegram groups in Spain up to seventy times (an upper estimate from counting questions in 18 groups over 60 days): «where in Valencia can I get an apostille on a birth certificate», «do I need an apostille to apply for temporary protection», «translations from Ukraine are not accepted», «does anyone know a trusted translator who will also do the apostille». Below are the answers from primary sources. How the protection application itself works is in the guide «Temporary protection in Spain 2026: how to apply», and the switch to a regular residence permit and permanent residence, where the documents are needed most often, is in the guide on the legalisation of Ukrainians in 2026.

Three words that get confused

On the language of procedures and documents

Article 15.1 Ley 39/2015: «La lengua de los procedimientos tramitados por la Administración General del Estado será el castellano»; an applicant who addresses a body located in an autonomous community with a second official language «podrán utilizar también la lengua que sea cooficial en ella». Article 13 c) of the same law enshrines the right to use the official languages of one's autonomous community. For procedures of regional and local administrations, the language is set by the autonomous community's legislation (art. 15.2). What matters is what article 15 does not contain: it governs the language of the procedure itself, not the translation of documents the applicant files; its paragraph 3 speaks of the opposite — which documents the administration itself must translate into Castilian.

The rule on translating foreign documents for extranjería is in Hoja informativa 61 of the Ministry of Inclusion: «El documento público deberá estar traducido al castellano o, en el supuesto de que la tramitación le corresponda a órganos con sede en el territorio de una Comunidad Autónoma, podrán utilizar la lengua que sea cooficial en ella». The hoja itself cautions that its content is «meramente orientativo» and that the rules in force apply; we found no other published source of this rule for extranjería.

Two useful paragraphs of article 28 Ley 39/2015:

• 28.1 — the applicant files «los datos y documentos exigidos por las Administraciones Públicas de acuerdo con lo dispuesto en la normativa aplicable» and may attach any others;
• 28.3 — administrations do not require originals, «salvo que, con carácter excepcional, la normativa reguladora aplicable establezca lo contrario», and do not ask for documents not provided for by the rules; at the same time, under 28.5 they may, giving reasons, ask to compare the copy with the original, and under 28.7 the applicant is responsible for the authenticity of the documents.

Who may make an official translation

The basis is disposición adicional décima sexta Ley 2/2014: official character «en todo caso» belongs to translations certified by the Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translations by a holder of the traductor-intérprete jurado title, who «certificará con su firma y sello la fidelidad y exactitud». The details are in the Reglamento de la Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas (RD 724/2020):

• Who a sworn translator is (art. 9). A professional to whom the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued the title after an examination or recognition of a qualification from another EU/EEA country. The title «no confieren a sus titulares la condición de funcionario público» — this is a private professional, not a civil servant.
• Which translations are official (art. 17.1). It concerns translations «de una lengua extranjera al castellano y viceversa»: a) those certified by the Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas; b) those made by a holder of the Traductor Jurado title, subject to the requirements on seal, certification and copy of the original; c) those made or adopted as its own by a Spanish consulate abroad in respect of a foreign public document forming part of a file submitted through that consulate — with the consulate's certificate; d) those made by a foreign consulate in Spain in respect of the text of a law or a public document of its country — provided this is «constar fehacientemente». Article 17.2 adds only translations given official character by EU law.
• Seal and certification (art. 18). The seal contains «necesaria y exclusivamente» the name and surname, the language or languages for which the translator is habilitado, and their number. The translation is accompanied by a copy of the original, stamped and dated on every page (art. 18.5). The certification formula under anexo I: «…certifica que la que antecede es traducción fiel y exacta al (lengua de destino) de un documento redactado en (lengua de origen)». Art. 18.4 leaves the electronic signature to a ministerial order — that is Orden AUC/213/2025, discussed below.
• Translations need no legalisation (art. 12.2). The title is valid regardless of where the translator lives, and their official translations for Spanish administrations are «quedando exentas de legalización».

What else the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page says:

• translations by sworn translators «tendrán carácter oficial, pudiendo ser aportadas ante los órganos judiciales y administrativos»;
• the Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas publishes the list of all appointed translators but «no hace de intermediaria en estos encargos ni realiza traducciones juradas particulares» — you order from the translator directly;
• for Catalan, Galician and Basque the Ministry has not held examinations since 1992: the titles are issued by the Generalitat de Cataluña, the Xunta de Galicia and the Gobierno Vasco, and their lists are on the regional websites;
• electronic signature — governed by Orden AUC/213/2025 (BOE 7.03.2025), art. 3: a qualified electronic certificate of a natural person; the signature «sobre la totalidad del documento generado», that is, over the original and the translation together, preferably in PAdES format; instead of a physical seal, a text block with the translator's name, language and number; the electronic signature «puede sustituir, pero no excluye ni invalida» the paper form with handwritten signature and seal under art. 18 RD 724/2020. The Ministry's notice of 6 April 2020, which is still up on the same page, is older than RD 724/2020 and relies on Orden AEC/2125/2014 — go by the 2025 order.

Why «translations from Ukraine are not accepted»

Because such a translation falls under none of the categories of art. 17.1 RD 724/2020 (art. 17.2 adds only translations given official character by EU law). A translation by a Ukrainian agency with notarial attestation of the translator's signature is a Ukrainian form that is absent from this list. Hoja 61, for extranjería, names three options:

1. a translation into Castilian by a sworn translator of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or into a co-official language by a translator of the autonomous community;
2. translations made or checked by a Spanish consulate abroad, bearing its seal, after which the translation is legalised at the Sección de Legalizaciones of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
3. translations by the consulate of the document's country of origin in Spain — «que deberán estar apostilladas o legalizadas por el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación (Sección de Legalizaciones)».

An exception exists only for homologación of diplomas: the Ucrania Urgente FAQ (item 2.3) also allows a translation «por un traductor oficial en el extranjero y debidamente legalizada la firma de dicho traductor oficial». This is a rule of the homologación procedure, and it cannot be carried over to a residence permit or the Registro Civil. More on the recognition of diplomas is in the guide on homologación.

The apostille: how it works between Ukraine and Spain

Status. According to the HCCH table, Spain signed the Convention on 21 October 1976, ratified it on 27 July 1978, in force from 25 September 1978. Ukraine acceded on 2 April 2003, in force from 22 December 2003. Under art. 12 of the Convention, accession takes effect only between the acceding State and those parties that did not object within six months; Belgium (3 October 2003, withdrawn 5 July 2004) and Germany (20 October 2003, withdrawn 22 July 2010) objected to Ukraine. The HCCH table shows no objection by Spain — hence our conclusion that, for Spain, the Convention has applied with Ukraine since 22 December 2003.

What the apostille certifies (art. 5). The authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the signatory acted and, where appropriate, the seal or stamp on the document — that is what the article lists, and nothing beyond it. From this list we conclude: the apostille neither checks nor confirms the content of the document.

What it is affixed to (art. 1). Public documents: judicial, administrative and notarial acts and official certificates on private documents. It is not affixed to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents, nor to administrative documents dealing with commercial or customs operations.

Who issues it (arts. 3 and 6). The competent authority of the State from which the document emanates; each State designates such authorities itself and notifies the depositary of them. For Ukraine, under Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 61 (version of 27 June 2023) and the HCCH page:

| Document | Ukrainian authority that issues the apostille | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Certificates of birth, marriage, death, change of name, extracts from civil status registers, court decisions, notarial documents (powers of attorney, consents, copies), archival certificates | Ministry of Justice (Міністерство юстиції) | | Diplomas, school certificates, supplements, academic transcripts | Ministry of Education and Science (Міністерство освіти і науки) | | Documents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its service centres (except education) | Ministry of Internal Affairs (Міністерство внутрішніх справ) | | Documents of the State Migration Service (citizenship, migration) | State Migration Service (Державна міграційна служба) | | Documents of the Tax Service | State Tax Service (Державна податкова служба) | | All other official documents | Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Міністерство закордонних справ) |

A criminal record certificate is a Ministry of Internal Affairs document; by this logic that Ministry apostilles it, but Resolution No. 61 does not name this document separately, and we do not assert it — check with the issuing authority.

Electronic apostille. According to the HCCH page, the «Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has introduced an electronic Apostille», whose authenticity is verified in the register apostille.minjust.gov.ua; the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the same page, have not introduced an electronic apostille (data as of 18 January 2023). Spain introduced a system of paper and electronic apostilles from 16 May 2011 (first in two authorities — Murcia and Castilla-La Mancha, then gradually in the rest) and allows them to be verified in the Ministry of Justice's electronic register (Spain's declaration to the depositary).

Which procedures need an apostille and a sworn translation

Temporary protection: they are not on the document list

• Ucrania Urgente, «Trámites y documentos»: «Un pasaporte o documento de identidad o algún documento de viaje»; if your family is with you — «los que prueben los vínculos familiares (actas de matrimonio, certificados de nacimiento, adopción)»; for third-country nationals — proof that a safe return is impossible.
• Ministerio del Interior, «Presentación de la solicitud»: the application is made in person before the National Police «exhibiendo la documentación personal o de viaje que porte la persona interesada»; documents — «tales como» identity and travel documents, proof of family ties, «otra información esencial»; among the duties — to file all documents on which the application is based: «documentos de identidad, de residencia en Ucrania, de vínculos familiares, etc.».
• Orden PCM/169/2022, art. 2.3: the applicant presents «toda la documentación acreditativa de la pertenencia al colectivo de aplicación del régimen de protección temporal».
• Ucrania Urgente FAQ, item 1.7: «Presentando documentos que acrediten tu nacionalidad (pasaporte, ID, etc.) o tu situación legal en Ucrania o tus vínculos familiares».

None of the four sources mentions an apostille, a sworn translation or empadronamiento: the padrón is not mentioned in these sources; the lists are open («tales como», «etc.»), and the application states an address (Orden PCM/169/2022, art. 2.3: «domicilio que conste en la solicitud»). This does not mean an office cannot ask for a translation of a birth certificate if it cannot read it — but there is no published requirement. The only new documentary condition since August 2026 is proof of military obligations; what it says about translation is in the separate guide on military registration and temporary protection. What happens after filing — NIE, resguardo, TIE — is in the guide on the NIE for Ukrainians.

Regular residence permit, family reunification, transition from temporary protection

Here the general rule of Hoja 61 applies: «Salvo que exista Convenio, Tratado o Acuerdo que exima de legalizar los documentos», foreign documents are filed «apostillado si el país que expide el documento es parte en el Convenio de la Haya» and translated into Castilian or a co-official language. Ukraine is a party to the Convention, so Ukrainian birth and marriage certificates, criminal record certificates, notarial consents and powers of attorney go with an apostille and a sworn translation. Which documents exactly are needed on each route is in the guide on the legalisation of Ukrainians 2026.

Child's 5-year residence permit (art. 160 RD 1155/2024)

Article 160.4 requires attaching to the application: a) copies of the passports of the child and the applying parent; b) «copia del certificado de nacimiento del menor o de la documentación acreditativa de la tutela»; c) the fee receipt; d) for a school-age child — proof of enrolment; e) proof of two years of the child's continuous residence in Spain and f) proof of means and housing — from which SEM 2/2026 (TERCERA) exempts children of temporary protection beneficiaries. Neither art. 160 nor the instruction says anything about the form of the foreign document; under the general rule of Hoja 61 (which is indicative), a Ukrainian birth certificate goes with an apostille of the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice and a sworn translation, as we write in the legalisation guide. If the child is of only one of the spouses or partners, art. 160.1 requires sole parental rights or the other parent's consent or a court authorisation; art. 160 does not define the form of the consent. If the bundle is incomplete, under art. 160.5 the office gives ten days to remedy it, otherwise the application is deemed withdrawn.

Registro Civil: birth of a child in Spain, marriage

Article 95 Ley 20/2011: documents not in Spain's official languages «deberán acompañarse de traducción efectuada por órgano o funcionario competentes», but «si al Encargado del Registro le constare el contenido del documento podrá prescindir de la traducción»; «todo documento expedido por funcionario o autoridad extranjera se presentará con la correspondiente legalización», except documents whose authenticity is known to the registrar or which arrived through official channels. In practice this means the parents' marriage certificate when registering a newborn and the birth certificates of the future spouses when applying to marry — with an apostille and a sworn translation, unless the registrar exercises the right to dispense with the translation.

School, diploma, driving licence

• School. For enrolment up to 4º ESO, homologación of Ukrainian schooling is not needed; what schools ask for in practice is in the guide on enrolling children in school.
• Diploma. For homologación, «se habrán de legalizar y traducir todos los documentos extranjeros» (Ucrania Urgente FAQ, item 2.3), and the list of admissible translators there is broader — see above.
• Driving licence. While temporary protection lasts, Ukrainian licences are recognised in the EU and «no se exigirá la presentación de su traducción jurada ni del permiso de conducción internacional» (Ucrania Urgente FAQ, item 1.2).

Step by step

1. 1

   Determine the procedure and the list of documents

   For applying for temporary protection, apostille and translation are not in the published lists. For a residence permit, family reunification, a child's residence permit under art. 160, the Registro Civil and homologación, a foreign public document is filed with an apostille and in an official translation (Hoja 61, Ley 20/2011 art. 95, Ucrania Urgente FAQ item 2.3). Take the list for your route from our legalisation guide or from the hoja informativa of your procedure.

2. 2

   Get the apostille in Ukraine on the original

   Civil status records, notarial documents and court decisions — Ministry of Justice; education — Ministry of Education and Science; everything else — Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 61). Any bearer may apply (art. 5 of the Convention), that is, a relative or a trusted person; the procedure for filing through a third person is set by Ukrainian rules, which we did not check. The Ministry of Justice's electronic apostille — per HCCH data as of 18.01.2023. An apostille on a notarial copy certifies the notary's signature, not that of the issuing authority — according to the lawyer's practice in our legalisation guide, offices expect the apostille on the original.

3. 3

   Find a sworn translator with Ukrainian

   Check the professional in the Buscador on the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: the language in the title must match the language of the document (art. 18.2 RD 724/2020). Translators with Ukrainian and Russian are in our directory; prices and times differ for everyone, and no rule sets them for translation. The Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas does not act as an intermediary.

4. 4

   Check the translation bundle

   Signature and seal (name, language, number), the certification formula under anexo I, a copy of the original stamped and dated on every page (art. 18.5 RD 724/2020). Ask for the text of the apostille stamp to be included in the translation — we found no rule that requires it, but this way the counter will not wonder what the stamp on the back is. The translator's electronic signature is admissible under Orden AUC/213/2025, art. 3: a signature over the whole document, and instead of a seal a text block with name, language and number.

5. 5

   File and keep the originals with you

   The administration does not require originals except where a rule expressly provides otherwise (art. 28.3 Ley 39/2015), but it may, giving reasons, ask to compare the copy with the original (art. 28.5). For filing in person, bring the apostilled originals, the translations and a printout of the electronic translation. You are responsible for the authenticity of the documents (art. 28.7).

Common mistakes

• Bringing a translation made in Ukraine with notarial certification. It is not on the list in art. 17 RD 724/2020 or Hoja 61. The exception is homologación of diplomas, with the foreign translator's signature legalised.
• Ordering a translation from a sworn translator for Russian for a document in Ukrainian. The language in the title and seal must match the language of the document (art. 18.2 RD 724/2020).
• Looking for an apostille at the Ukrainian consulate or «in Valencia». The apostille is issued by the competent authority of the country that issued the document (arts. 3 and 6 of the Convention); for a Ukrainian certificate — the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice.
• Putting the apostille on the translation instead of the original. A sworn translator's translation needs no legalisation (art. 12.2 RD 724/2020); the apostille goes on the Ukrainian document itself.
• Collecting apostilles to apply for temporary protection. They are not in the published lists (the lists are open, but the apostille is not named in them); the time is better spent on documents for the next step — the child's residence permit or the switch to a regular residence permit.
• Handing in the original without a copy. Under art. 28.3 Ley 39/2015, copies are filed; the original is shown for comparison if asked (art. 28.5).

What we do not assert

• Prices and turnaround times for sworn translation. Not set by any rule — it is a private service; they depend on the city, the language pair and urgency — compare offers in the directory.
• The fee and timing for a Ukrainian apostille. These are set by Ukraine (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 61, item 2); the HCCH data is dated 18.01.2023, so we do not quote it — check with the authority.
• What a particular Oficina de Extranjería or Registro Civil will accept — Hoja 61 itself calls itself «orientativa», and we did not check office practice.
• How Ukraine's apostille services work today, including the electronic one, and which document services the Ukrainian consulate in Spain provides — the official Ukrainian pages did not open during our check on 19 October 2026; the HCCH data is dated 18 January 2023.
• Whether a criminal record certificate needs an apostille specifically from the Ministry of Internal Affairs — Resolution No. 61 does not name this document separately.
• The outcome of your case. The office decides it on your documents.

This guide is for reference and is not legal advice; rules and practice change — check the primary sources (Ley 39/2015, RD 724/2020 and Orden AUC/213/2025 in the BOE, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page on sworn translators, Hoja informativa 61, the HCCH status table and competent-authorities page, Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 61) and consult a lawyer in a complex case. Facts checked against primary sources: 19 October 2026. Sworn translators with Ukrainian and Russian and Russian-speaking immigration lawyers can be found in our verified directory.