Sworn translation for the EU family member residence card in Spain

What this procedure is

The EU family member residence card proves the right to live in Spain for someone related to a citizen of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. Spouses and registered partners apply for it, as do children and, in many cases, dependent parents and grandparents. This is the EU regime, which works differently from Spain's general immigration rules, and it is usually handled at the Immigration Office (Oficina de Extranjería) or the relevant National Police station.

The part that trips most people up is the paperwork proving the family link. If you married abroad, if your children were born in another country, or if you need to show that a relative depends on you, those certificates arrive in another language. Before you can file them, they have to be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator. That is the part we handle at Textualia.

Which documents need a sworn translation

Not everything is translated, but the documents that establish the relationship almost always are. The usual ones:

• Marriage certificate issued abroad, for spouses.
• Registered partnership certificate from the country of origin.
• Birth certificates of children born outside Spain.
• Kinship or filiation documents proving the link with a parent, grandparent or child.
• Proof of financial dependence for a dependent relative, sometimes income or cohabitation certificates issued by foreign authorities.

Most of these certificates also have to be apostilled (Hague Apostille) or legalised through consular channels before translation, depending on the issuing country. The apostille is translated together with the document. If you are not sure whether your country issues apostilles, check with the authorities before sending anything to us.

One point worth stressing on validity: a sworn translation signed by a translator authorised by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) is officially valid in Spain. We make no claim about its validity before authorities in other countries, where each State sets its own rules.

How we do it at Textualia

The whole process runs online and is built to save you time:

1. Upload the document, scanned or photographed at good quality. A sharp image of the certificate and the apostille is enough.
2. Get your quote on the spot, based on the actual word count. You see it before you pay.
3. Pay online securely.
4. A translator sworn before the MAEC does the work, adding the certification, stamp and signature that Spanish law requires.
5. Receive a PDF with a recognised electronic signature, valid for online submission and accepted by offices that take digital documents.

If the office where you file wants the translation on paper, we also send it printed on official Spanish stamped paper (papel timbrado del Estado), with original stamp and signature. You pick the format to match what they ask for; when in doubt, many clients order both.

We handle marriage, birth and kinship certificates issued in English and in French, the two language pairs that come up most often in this procedure. We pay close attention to making names, dates and places match the rest of your file exactly, because a mismatch there is one of the commonest reasons an application gets sent back.

Why choose Textualia

Because this is a genuine sworn translation, produced by authorised professionals, not machine output with a questionable stamp. Because we work to tight deadlines without cutting corners on a document that becomes part of an official file. And because you always know where you stand: the price before you pay, who signs your translation, and the format you will receive.

If your certificates are already apostilled, we can have your sworn translation ready in a short time. Upload your documents and request your translation now, and you will see the quote in seconds.