U.S. Apostille, DMV & Sworn Translation Services for Americans in Barcelona
If you live in Barcelona and a Spanish office has asked for an apostilled U.S. document, you do not need to fly home and you do not need to post an original into a government queue on another continent. Upload it or mail it to us and the work is done by our U.S. offices: federal apostilles hand-delivered to the U.S. Department of State, state apostilles filed with the issuing Secretary of State, plus DMV record requests and sworn translation. The finished originals are couriered to you in Spain.
Everything Handled Stateside, Nothing Left to You
A U.S. apostille is issued only inside the United States — by the Department of State for federal documents, or by the Secretary of State of whichever state produced the rest. From Spain the do-it-yourself version means working out which of fifty-one authorities applies, mailing an irreplaceable original into it, and waiting blind. Most of the failures we see are not the apostille at all; they are the document arriving in the wrong queue or in a form that was never eligible.
Our service exists on the other side of that. You submit online or by post, we identify the right authority, prepare the filing, lodge it in person at the counter, and send the apostilled original back to Barcelona by tracked courier. Everything is run by our U.S. offices in your language and on your timeline, and nothing depends on you being in the country.
Start My Order OnlineServices for Expats in Barcelona
FBI Background Check
The document expats in Spain ask for most. Residency applications and renewals routinely want an apostilled FBI Identity History Summary, and because it is federal it can only be authenticated in Washington.
Birth, Marriage & State Records
These are state documents, not federal — an Ohio birth certificate is apostilled by Ohio. We file with the correct Secretary of State and clear the county-level step first in the states that require one.
Naturalization & Federal Certificates
N-550, N-570, N-560 and N-561 certificates, federal court orders, IRS Form 6166 and DD-214s — all authenticated federally, all hand-delivered by our Washington office.
DMV & Driving Records
Certified driving histories and abstracts requested from your state DMV and apostilled — commonly needed when a Spanish authority or insurer wants documented proof of your U.S. driving record.
Sworn Translation
Sworn and certified translation with a signed certificate of accuracy, prepared alongside the apostille so the two arrive together and in the order the receiving office expects.
Upload or Mail It In
Start online with scans so we can check eligibility before an original crosses the Atlantic, or post the originals straight to our U.S. intake. Either route costs the same and runs on the same schedule.
Three Steps From Your Flat in Barcelona
There is no appointment to book and no counter to visit. Start the order online, send what we ask for, and the next thing you handle is the courier at your door. Clients across Catalonia and the rest of Spain — and plenty elsewhere in Europe — use the service without ever meeting us in person.
Start My Order OnlineUpload or Post It
Submit scans through the secure portal, or mail the originals in. We confirm what the document is and which authority can authenticate it.
Filed in Person in the U.S.
Federal documents are walked into the U.S. Department of State by our Washington team; state documents go to the issuing Secretary of State.
Couriered to Spain
The apostilled original — with its translation, if you ordered one — arrives by tracked courier at your address in Barcelona.
Four Things That Cost Expats Months
Filing from outside the United States takes away every chance to fix a mistake quickly. These four account for most of the lost time.
- Paying for legalization Spain never asked for Spain belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille stands on its own. Consular legalization is not required for a U.S. document here, and buying it costs weeks and money for nothing.
- Sending a state document to the federal government Washington cannot authenticate a California birth certificate, and California cannot authenticate an FBI report. A packet in the wrong queue comes back unprocessed.
- An original that was never eligible An uncertified photocopy, a certification that has gone stale, a seal that is not the registered one. Submitting scans first catches this before anything irreplaceable gets posted.
- Ordering the translation at the wrong moment Translate too early and the apostille is not on the document yet; some offices want the apostille translated too. Ordering both together means the sequence is right.
Barcelona & Spain — Common Questions
Do I have to come in, or can this be done entirely remotely?
Can a U.S. apostille be issued in Spain?
Does Spain accept an apostille, or do I need consular legalization?
What are DMV requests used for?
Which kind of translation will my Spanish office accept?
What does it cost?
How long should I allow?
We’re Here to Help
Start online, or write to us first if you are not sure which authority your document belongs to. Our Barcelona contact point is below for anyone who would rather speak to someone locally before sending anything.
Barcelona Contact Point
Start Your U.S. Apostille
- Submit online or by mail — no visit needed
- Federal apostilles hand-delivered in Washington, DC
- State apostilles filed in all 50 states
- DMV record requests and sworn translation available
