Documents to take with you when emigrating to Spain (that you won't be able to get afterwards)
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There's a mistake almost everyone makes when moving to Spain: leaving home with digital copies or photocopies when you actually need apostilled (or legalized, depending on the country) originals. You realize it the day you go to get your degree recognized, apply for a driver's license, or sign a rental contract. And that's when the trouble starts.
Getting an official document from your home country while you're in Spain takes more time and money than getting it there in person: paperwork agencies, express shipping and fees that nobody warns you about ahead of time. This guide is the list we wish someone had handed us before packing the suitcase.
The most expensive mistake you can make
Leaving without your documents apostilled or legalized, thinking "I'll just sort it out from over there." Handling it remotely means relying on someone back home (a relative or an agency) and paying for courier services, even if your country uses the apostille. Where it doesn't and you need legalization instead — as in Cuba — there are more steps, and which ones depends on the document and on the procedure you need it for.
What nobody tells you is that a plain photocopy usually won't do: official procedures will ask for the original or an authenticated copy, with its apostille or legalization. Check what each procedure asks for exactly before taking anything for granted.
Apostille or consular legalization: they're not the same thing
This is the first thing you need to figure out about your country, before anything else: if your country signed the 1961 Hague Convention, your documents get apostilled (one stamp, one procedure). If it isn't part of the convention — like Cuba, which doesn't appear in the HCCH table — your documents need legalization instead: they are certified by the authorities in your country and, depending on the document and the procedure, by the Spanish consulate as well. It's a process with more steps and more appointments. Venezuela, on the other hand, is part of the convention (in force since March 16, 1999): an apostille is enough there.
| Apostille | Consular legalization | |
|---|---|---|
| When does it apply? | Country that signed the 1961 Hague Convention | Non-signing country (e.g., Cuba) or convention doesn't apply |
| Steps | One stamp from the competent authority in the issuing country | Legalization by the authorities in your country and, depending on the document, at the Spanish consulate too |
| Where to request it | In your country, before traveling (or through someone with power of attorney) | In your country; depending on the document, also at the relevant Spanish consulate |
Cuba's case illustrates this well: the consular services page of the Spanish Consulate General in Havana confirms that Cuban documents are legalized, not apostilled, and explains procedure by procedure which legalizations each document needs. If your country isn't on the HCCH list, assume you're in for this longer route, and book your consular appointment with plenty of lead time.
Before you leave, check your specific case: look up the official HCCH table of signatory countries for your country's name. Don't trust third-party lists or whatever a paperwork agency tells you — that official table is the source to rely on.
The documents you absolutely must bring
1. Original birth certificate, apostilled or legalized. It's the most requested document, and the one most people forget to bring in original form. You'll need it for family reunification, Spanish citizenship, civil registry registration, and consular procedures. It has to be the long-form version (with your parents' details), recent, and carrying the proper stamp. Bring at least two originals: some procedures keep the document and don't give it back.
2. University or vocational training degrees, in original form. To get a degree recognized (homologado) in Spain, you'll pay a €166.50 fee (form 790, code 107), according to Spain's Ministry of Universities. The legal resolution period is 6 months, but in practice it usually runs a lot longer, especially for regulated healthcare professions. To even open the file, you need the original apostilled or legalized degree from day one — without it, your application isn't even accepted for processing.
3. Criminal background check from your country. You'll be asked for this for most residency and work permits, and it's only valid for a limited time from its issue date, so don't get it done too far ahead of your trip.
4. Marriage or divorce certificate, if applicable. You'll need it for joint municipal registration (empadronamiento), family reunification, or any procedure where your marital status matters.
5. Medical history and vaccination record. It's not an immigration requirement, but it saves you from repeating tests and makes it easier to register with the public healthcare system or a private insurer if you don't have public coverage yet.
6. Original driver's license, with its translation. You can keep driving for a limited time on your home country's license, but you can only exchange it for a Spanish one if your country has an exchange agreement with Spain; if not, you'll have to take the test here. Check your country in our country-by-country exchange guide. Requesting a duplicate remotely from Spain adds months to the process.
Certified translation: apostilling or legalizing a document isn't enough if it's not in Spanish. For most procedures you'll also need a certified (sworn) translation, done by an authorized translator. You can arrange this in your home country or once you're already in Spain — check the list of sworn translators-interpreters recognized by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Your next step
Before you close that suitcase, go to the official HCCH table and check whether your country is among the Hague Convention signatories. If it is, book an appointment to apostille your birth certificate, degrees, and criminal background check before you travel. If it isn't — like Cuba — book your legalization appointments weeks in advance, since the process has more steps than an apostille. Either way, leave your country with at least two originals of each document: it's the difference between wrapping up a procedure in Spain in a matter of weeks, versus spending months waiting on a paper you can no longer request in person.