Sworn translation of a foreign birth certificate

The birth certificate is one of the documents most frequently translated to be filed before the Spanish administration. It comes up in almost every major procedure: citizenship, civil marriage, registering a child in the civil registry, residence, recognition of studies. Here is how to translate it properly so that your file goes through on the first try.

Different birth certificate formats

Each country issues birth certificates under a different name and format. The most common ones we see in practice:

• United Kingdom: Birth Certificate (Long Form).
• United States: state Birth Certificate (Long Form / Certified Copy).
• France: Acte de naissance — copie intégrale (and the extrait avec filiation).
• Belgium: Acte de naissance, extract for use abroad.
• Morocco: bilingual (Arabic-French) Acte de naissance or copie intégrale.
• Latin American countries: birth records or partidas de nacimiento from the national civil registries.

Always request the "literal" or "full copy" version, not the summary extract. The Spanish administration wants the complete document (with parentage: father, mother, dates, place) in order to validate all the data in the file.

Apostille of the birth certificate

Like any official foreign document, the birth certificate is accompanied by The Hague Apostille (or diplomatic legalisation if the country is not a signatory). And, as we have recalled elsewhere: apostille first, translate afterwards. The sworn translation includes the certificate and the Apostille in a single file.

A useful European exception: if the certificate comes from an EU country and is a standard multilingual certificate (Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2016/1191), the Spanish administration may accept it without a sworn translation because the European format is already multilingual. In practice it is worth asking, because many offices still request the translation even of the multilingual version — and the cost is small compared to losing your appointment.

Procedures it is required for

• Spanish citizenship by residence: certificate of the applicant, and of any minor children.
• Registration of a civil marriage between a Spanish national and a foreigner.
• Registration of a child born abroad in the Central Civil Registry (Madrid).
• Family reunification: certificate of the spouse and the children.
• Residence by family roots (arraigo familiar).
• Recognition of studies (sometimes requested together with the degree).
• Notarial procedures requiring proof of kinship.

Common mistakes with birth certificates

• Filing an extract instead of the full/literal version. The administration wants the complete document.
• Different name transliterations across documents. If your name uses non-Latin characters (Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese), transliterations vary. Make sure the certificate's transliteration matches your passport's; if not, an explanatory statement must be added.
• Date in a different format. A certificate may show 03/12/1985 and another document 12/03/1985. The sworn translator transcribes respecting the original; in case of doubt, indicate the day/month/year order of the issuing country.
• Document without the translated Apostille. The Apostille is part of the official document; it is always translated.
• Very old certificate. Some procedures require a certificate issued within the last 3-6 months (a new certification of civil status, not the one from the year you were born). Check the deadline of your specific procedure before translating.

At Textualia we prepare sworn translations of birth certificates from English and French into Spanish, ready to be filed before civil registries, courts, notaries and the Spanish administration in general.