How to verify an official sworn translator in Spain (MAEC)

Paying for a sworn translation and later discovering that the translator was not actually accredited is one of the most expensive setbacks in an official procedure: the administration rejects the file and you have to redo and pay again. The good news is that verifying a sworn translator in Spain is trivial and takes less than a minute. Here is how.

The official MAEC list

In Spain, the credential of Sworn Translator-Interpreter is granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEC). Only people registered on its official list may sign translations with sworn validity.

The list is public, free and searchable by anyone on the MAEC website. You can search by:

• The translator's surname (if you already have the name).
• Language pair (e.g. English, French, German).
• Autonomous community where they are based.

The result shows the accreditation number, the language pair(s) the translator is accredited for, and any contact details the translator has chosen to publish.

What information your translator should give you

Before placing the order, a serious sworn translator will gladly share:

• Their full name and MAEC accreditation number.
• The specific language pairs they are accredited for (being "accredited for English" is not the same as "accredited for English and French" — they are separate registrations).
• The autonomous community they are listed under.

With those three pieces of information you go to the MAEC site, look the person up, and confirm they exist and that their accreditation covers your language pair. If a translator or agency resists sharing the accreditation number, that is a red flag: the number is public, there is nothing to hide.

Signs of a real sworn translator

Beyond the formal check, other signs distinguish a serious service:

• Signature and stamp on every page of the translation, not only at the end.
• Certification of fidelity at the end of the document, in the wording set by the MAEC regulation.
• Stamp with the translator's name, accreditation number, and the language pairs they are accredited for.
• PDF signed with a qualified electronic signature version, which is also legally valid.

Red flags to avoid

• "Certified translator" with no further qualification. The word "certified" does not mean MAEC-accredited.
• Agencies that do not mention the accreditation number of the signer — the real responsible party is the individual person, not the agency.
• Abnormally low prices on express turnarounds: a quality sworn translation needs review time.
• Translations that arrive without a visible stamp or without the final certification.
• "Accredited in another country". The credentials of a foreign sworn translator are not automatically valid in Spain.

How we do it at Textualia

Our translators are accredited by the MAEC for the English-Spanish and French-Spanish pairs. The accreditation number is shared with the client before the order begins, so anyone can verify it at the official source. Every sworn translation is delivered with a qualified electronic signature, the translator's stamp, and the certification of fidelity — the exact format accepted by ministries, registries, courts and universities across Spain.