Which ACRO product do I need for use in Spain?

You need the standard **ACRO Police Certificate** (sometimes referred to as *ACRO Subject Access* in older guidance, but the certificate product is now formally the Police Certificate). For Spain, this is the certificate Spanish authorities accept as evidence of your UK criminal record status. You do NOT need a basic DBS check or a Subject Access Request — those serve different purposes (UK employment vetting and personal data disclosure, respectively).

Do I need to apostille the certificate before you translate it?

Yes in virtually all cases. Spanish authorities require the ACRO certificate to carry the Hague Apostille from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) before the sworn translation. You have two options: (1) request the **e-Apostille directly from ACRO** at the time of your certificate request (digital, fastest), or (2) order the paper certificate from ACRO and send it separately to the FCDO Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes. The e-Apostille is usually faster and means one fewer parcel to manage.

Does ACRO provide its own translation service?

ACRO does not provide sworn translations valid in Spain. They produce the certificate (and the apostille, via their e-Apostille service). The sworn translation must be done by a translator accredited by Spain's MAEC — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain. A translation produced in the UK by a UK-certified translator is not automatically recognised as a *traducción jurada* in Spain. Accreditation is national: only MAEC-listed translators have full effect before the Spanish administration.

How long is an ACRO certificate valid for use in Spain?

In general, the Spanish administration considers a criminal record certificate valid for **three months from the date of issue**, though specific procedures may apply different deadlines. If your ACRO certificate was issued more than three months before you submit your file, you'll likely need to request a new one. The apostille follows the validity of the underlying certificate — you don't apostille separately.

Can you handle the apostille for me?

We don't apostille documents ourselves — the apostille is issued by UK authorities (either ACRO's e-Apostille service or the FCDO Legalisation Office). What we do is the **sworn translation step**: once you have the apostilled ACRO certificate, send it to us and we translate the whole package (certificate plus apostille) into Spanish with full MAEC validity. We can also advise on which apostille route fits your timeline before you start.

Sworn translation of UK ACRO certificate for Spain

What is the ACRO Police Certificate?

The ACRO Police Certificate is the official document issued by the ACRO Criminal Records Office — a unit of the City of London Police — to evidence an individual's criminal record status held by UK police. It is the certificate used internationally when UK citizens or UK residents need to demonstrate their criminal record (or lack of it) to foreign authorities.

For Spain specifically, ACRO is the certificate the Spanish administration accepts to evidence your UK record. It is distinct from:

The DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service), used for UK employment vetting at Basic, Standard or Enhanced level. DBS checks are not designed for use abroad and Spain does not accept them.
A Subject Access Request, which gives you a copy of personal data held about you under data-protection law. It is not a certified summary of your criminal record.
A police caution letter or local police statement, which is not equivalent to a formal certificate and is rejected by Spanish authorities.

If you are unsure which document you have in hand, check whether it was issued by ACRO Criminal Records Office — that's the one Spain accepts.

When you need an ACRO certificate translated for Spain

The most common situations in which we receive ACRO certificates for translation:

Spanish nationality by residency. Files submitted to the Spanish Ministry of Justice require a criminal record certificate from your country of origin and from any country where you've resided during the past five years. If you spent that period in the UK, the ACRO certificate covers the British evidence.
Initial residency authorisations and NIE/TIE renewals for UK citizens regularising their status under the post-Brexit framework, or for those applying for non-lucrative, digital nomad, or work-based residency permits.
Regulated professions in Spain: NHS-trained healthcare professionals, qualified teachers moving to Spanish schools or universities, lawyers crossing into Spanish practice, financial services and roles involving minors — all require evidence of clean record.
International adoption procedures handled by Spanish Civil Registries when adopting parents are based in the UK.
Public-sector competitive exams in Spain (oposiciones) when applicants have lived in the UK during the period the administration requires you to evidence.
Real estate and corporate matters where Spanish notaries or registries request a clean-record declaration with supporting documentary evidence.

Ordering the right ACRO certificate

ACRO's online portal lets you request a Police Certificate as the primary product. When ordering specifically for use in Spain, two settings matter:

Add the e-Apostille at the time of request. ACRO offers the Hague Apostille as an add-on at order time. Selecting this option avoids a second round trip to the FCDO and is materially faster — your certificate is issued already apostilled in digital form.
Consider the standard vs premium turnaround. ACRO offers a standard service (typically around 10 working days from receipt of all supporting documents) and a premium service (typically around 2 working days). For time-sensitive Spanish procedures, the premium option is often worth the extra cost.

ACRO will require proof of identity and proof of your past UK address(es). The certificate is issued in your full legal name as held in their records, which is normally the name on your passport.

Apostille: paper route vs e-Apostille

There are two valid paths to obtain the Hague Apostille on a UK ACRO certificate:

Option A — e-Apostille via ACRO (recommended for Spain)

ACRO's e-Apostille service produces a digitally apostilled certificate at the same time as the underlying certificate. The result is a PDF containing both the certificate content and a verifiable digital apostille embedded.

This is the simpler route: one order, one delivery, no further legalisation needed before sending the document to us. The Spanish administration accepts the e-Apostille on equal footing with the paper apostille.

Option B — Paper certificate + FCDO Legalisation Office

If you have already received a paper ACRO certificate without apostille, you can apostille it separately by sending it to the FCDO Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes. The office offers a standard postal service and a premium same-day service for in-person submissions. The result is a physical apostille stamp affixed to the original document.

This route adds an extra step but is the only option if your ACRO certificate is already in your hands without the e-Apostille.

Either route produces an apostille that the Spanish administration accepts. Choose Option A if you're ordering ACRO from scratch and need speed; Option B if you already have the paper certificate.

The sworn translation step

Once your ACRO certificate is apostilled (electronically or on paper), we translate the entire document into Spanish: certificate content, apostille seal, all relevant codes and statements. Our sworn translation:

Reproduces the full content of the original, including ACRO's seal, certificate number, date of issue, and the statement of record (the section that confirms whether or not entries are held against your name).
Translates the apostille fully, since Spanish authorities expect both the underlying certificate and the apostille to be readable in Spanish.
Adds the official sworn translator's certification: signed declaration, MAEC accreditation number, and qualified digital signature compliant with the MAEC Resolution of 26 July 2020.
Reflects any specific UK terminology (cautions, fixed penalty notices, spent convictions, conditional discharges) with a translator's note where Spanish administrative readers might otherwise struggle to interpret the local context.

Delivery format and timing

We deliver the translation as a PDF signed electronically with the sworn translator's qualified digital signature. This format has full legal validity before all Spanish administrations. If your specific procedure requires a paper copy with handwritten signature and stamp, we send it by registered mail after the digital delivery.

The standard turnaround for a single ACRO certificate (typically one page) is shown exactly in the quoter alongside the price, before payment. Urgent options are available with a specific tariff. All turnaround times are calculated against the Spanish working calendar and are guaranteed, not estimated.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Spelling of names. If your name on the ACRO certificate doesn't match exactly your Spanish NIE or residence card — different name order, missing accents, hyphens treated differently, middle names dropped — we add a translator's note linking the two identities. This prevents the Spanish administration from rejecting the file over an apparent inconsistency between the certificate's name and your Spanish records.
Validity expiring during the process. If your ACRO was issued more than two months ago and you're starting a multi-step procedure (apostille + translation + submission, often weeks total), request a fresh certificate now. Otherwise you may need to redo the whole flow mid-procedure when the Spanish administration rejects an expired document.
Wrong document type. A DBS check is not an ACRO certificate. A police local-station letter is not an ACRO certificate. Make sure the source document is issued by ACRO Criminal Records Office — Spanish authorities are strict on this point.
Apostille from the wrong issuer. Only the UK FCDO (or ACRO's own e-Apostille) issues a Hague Apostille valid for Spain on UK documents. A notarised statement, a solicitor's certification, or a stamp from any other UK body is not an apostille and is not accepted by Spain.

Spanish bodies that accept our translation of an ACRO certificate

Ministry of Justice (Spanish nationality by residency)
Sub-delegation of the Government and Immigration Offices (NIE, TIE, residency authorisations including the post-Brexit framework)
Civil Registry (international adoptions, registrations)
Universities and regulated professional bodies (staff selection, professional registration)
General State Administration (competitive exams, public-sector recruitment)
Regional governments (healthcare, teaching and social-services posts requiring background check)
Notaries (deeds with clean-record declarations)

Sworn translation of a criminal record certificate — the general page covering all foreign criminal record certificates beyond the UK ACRO (FBI, RCMP, Garda Vetting, etc.).
Birth certificate — companion document for nationality and registration procedures.
University degree — companion document for professional recognition (homologación).

Sworn translation of UK ACRO Police Certificate for Spain

Get your instant quote

From ACRO request to a Spanish administration that accepts your file