- Sworn translation · hague apostille
Sworn Translation Apostille
Whether you need the Hague Apostille on your document and its sworn translation ready for a Spanish authority, or the other way around for a country abroad, the order matters and I'll walk you through it.
I'm Rosa Sánchez Montoya, sworn translator-interpreter of English appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC Nº 3189), based in Orihuela Costa.
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legalisation
What is the Hague Apostille and why it needs to be translated
The Apostille is a stamp or attachment that certifies the signature and seal on a public document so that the document is legally recognised in another country, without going through the receiving country's embassy.
It was created by the 1961 Hague Convention and today around 125 countries accept each other's documents this way.
In practical terms: your birth certificate, criminal record, marriage certificate, notarised power of attorney or educational document doesn't cross borders on its own. The apostille is what tells a Spanish civil registry that your UK certificate is authentic, or what tells a British authority that your Spanish document was issued by the office it claims.
Two things worth knowing from the start:
- The apostille goes on the original document, not on the translation.
- The apostille itself is a text (issuing office, signatory, reference number, date) and it also has to be translated when it accompanies a sworn translation of the document.
Both are part of the same sworn translation when the document reaches me.
The receiving office needs to read the apostille as part of the translated file, so the apostille has to be on the document before I translate it.
one certified file
One sworn translation for the document and the apostille
When your document arrives here with the apostille already on it, you receive a single sworn translation that includes:
- The full content of the original document, formatted so a Spanish or English-speaking caseworker can follow it.
- The full text of the apostille (issuing authority, signatory name and position, reference number, date, seal).
- My MAEC sworn signature and stamp certifying both parts.
- Delivery as a signed digital PDF (accepted by Spanish public bodies) and paper originals from my office when the receiving office still asks for them.
The point of doing it as one file is that it stays valid at the counter. Two separate documents from two separate translators can create confusion at the appointment; a single sworn translation covering both is what most authorities expect.
common documents
Documents that most often need the apostille
These are the documents where the apostille and the sworn translation almost always go together.
the process
How the apostille is translated
01
Send me the document, apostilled or not
Photograph or PDF works. Tell me the country of issue, the country where you'll present it, and the trámite (residency, nationality, university enrolment, marriage, inheritance, driving licence exchange).
02
I confirm the route and quote the translation
I tell you whether the apostille is needed and where to request it. If your document is already apostilled, I quote the sworn translation covering both parts and confirm the turnaround.
03
You receive one sworn translation for both
Signed and stamped by me under MAEC Nº 3189. Digital PDF with electronic sworn signature, and paper originals from my office if the receiving authority still asks for them.
about me
Rosa Sánchez Montoya, sworn translator No. 3189
I've spent years translating official documents for British and other English-speaking clients on the Costa Blanca. The paperwork behind buying a home, moving here, immigration processes, homologating a degree or dealing with an inheritance, most of it apostilled before it reaches my desk.
That means when you send me a document, I already know how the Spanish Administration reads it, and how a British, Irish or American authority reads a Spanish one. Which sections a caseworker checks first, whether the apostille needs to be included in the translation, and what tends to send a file back.
When you contact me, you deal directly with me. I answer your first message, review the document, prepare the sworn translation and hand it to you signed and stamped. If you also need me in person at a notary, a police station or a court hearing, I can attend as your sworn interpreter with the same MAEC appointment.
orihuela costa
Sworn translator in Orihuela Costa
You can send me your documents and receive your quote and completed translation wherever you are in Spain or abroad. If you prefer to hand the documents in person or collect stamped paper originals, you can visit me at my office in Orihuela Costa.
Tradusan, Rosa Mª Sánchez Montoya
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00–19:00
faqs
FAQs about the sworn translation of Hague Apostille
Can you request the apostille for me?
No. I only handle the sworn translation. The apostille has to be requested in the country where the document was issued, through the office that corresponds to that document.
I already have a sworn translation done, and now I've been told I also need the apostille. Do I have to translate everything again?
No. Once you have the apostille issued, send it to me on its own and I'll produce a sworn translation of just the apostille, referenced to the existing translation. The original sworn translation of the document stays valid.
Does the apostille itself need to be translated?
Yes. The apostille is a legal text with its own signatures and references, and the receiving authority reads it.
I received an electronic apostille (e-apostille). Is that valid, and can you work from it?
Yes. Around thirty countries, including Spain and the UK, now issue e-apostilles with a verification code that the receiving authority can check online. Send me the PDF as it was issued and I'll work from that; it has the same legal effect as a paper apostille.
contact
Get in contact for a quote
Send photos of both sides of the licence by WhatsApp and I'll come back with a fixed price and a delivery date, usually the same day and always within office hours.
Tradusan, Rosa Mª Sánchez Montoya
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00–19:00