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Documents from Brazil for a Spanish nationality file: criminal record, birth certificate, apostille and validity

Where each document comes from, who issues the apostille, how long each one stays valid and what Spain's own texts say about legalisation and translation, with a source under every line. Free.

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Sources (2)
gov.br, Antecedentes Criminais, Outras InformaçõesOfficial wordingA certidão é emitida gratuitamente, pela Internet e vale por 90 dias.
gov.br, Emitir Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais, O que é?Official wordingFornecida para fins civis, a Certidão emitida poderá ser impressa e terá a validade de 90 dias.
Sources (1)
sede.mjusticia.gob.es, página del trámiteOfficial wordingDispone de dos meses desde la fecha de creación para completar su solicitud, si pasado ese plazo no ha firmado y presentado su solicitud, se borrará de manera automática.
How we count

Months and years end on the same day number, or on the last day of the month if there is no such day; they start the day after the date you give. A deadline that ends on a weekend moves to the next working day. Document validity is not moved: the date shown is the last day it stays valid, even on a weekend. Days are working days unless a law says otherwise.

Ley 39/2015, art. 30.4Official wordingéstos se computarán a partir del día siguiente a aquel en que tenga lugar la notificación o publicación del acto de que se trate
Ley 39/2015, art. 30.4Official wordingo desde el siguiente a aquel en que se produzca la estimación o desestimación por silencio administrativo.
Ley 39/2015, art. 30.2Official wordingSiempre que por Ley o en el Derecho de la Unión Europea no se exprese otro cómputo, cuando los plazos se señalen por días, se entiende que éstos son hábiles
Ley 39/2015, art. 30.2Official wordingexcluyéndose del cómputo los sábados, los domingos y los declarados festivos.
Ley 39/2015, art. 30.4Official wordingEl plazo concluirá el mismo día en que se produjo la notificación, publicación o silencio administrativo en el mes o el año de vencimiento.
Ley 39/2015, art. 30.4Official wordingSi en el mes de vencimiento no hubiera día equivalente a aquel en que comienza el cómputo, se entenderá que el plazo expira el último día del mes.
Ley 39/2015, art. 30.5Official wordingCuando el último día del plazo sea inhábil, se entenderá prorrogado al primer día hábil siguiente.

Where is my file? With your application number, follow it on the Ministry's website: Ministry of Justice: nationality by residence

The File Pack: your file in one workspace

Your documents with their dates, the order to ask for them, every deadline in one calendar file, two letters already drafted and twenty-five checks before you file. It uses the same sourced rules as this page, organised for your own file.

  • A tracker for each document, with a check of whether it will still count on your filing day
  • The order to ask for each document, with the dates that can already be worked out
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  • In English, Spanish, French and Arabic. What you type stays in your browser.

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In short

  • Criminal record: The Federal Police says its Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais is free, online and valid for 90 days, though some people cannot get it online; we found no page saying from which date the 90 days run or whether it is the single national certificate Spain asks for.
  • Birth and marriage: You can ask online for another copy of a birth certificate through the Portal do Registro Civil; we found no official Brazilian page stating a validity for it.
  • Apostille: Apostilles in Brazil are issued by authorised cartórios (notary and registry offices), not by consulates; the fee equals the cost of a power of attorney without declared value in each state, and we found no fixed amount.
  • Translation: The Federal Police says its certificate is supplied only in Portuguese; Spain's Ministry of Justice says translation is done or checked at Spanish consulates abroad or at the origin country's consulates in Spain, or by a sworn translator-interpreter.
  • Order: Our arithmetic, not an official rule: request first the documents that need an apostille and a sworn translation, then the criminal record certificate so you can still finish its apostille and translation inside its validity; the clock below gives the dates.

Each line sums up a section below. The sources are in that section.

Last checked: 19 October 2026. Check the official page: sede.mjusticia.gob.es.

CiviqPass is an independent service.

1. Criminal record certificate

The Federal Police (Polícia Federal) page says the Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais reports whether criminal records exist in a person's name in the Federal Police's computer systems.[1] The page says the certificate is issued free of charge, over the internet, and is valid for 90 days.[2]

Criminal record certificate from Brazil: who issues it and how long it stays valid

Sources (2)
  1. gov.br, Antecedentes Criminais, Outras InformaçõesOfficial wordingA Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais informa a existência de registros criminais em nome de uma determinada pessoa nos sistemas informatizados da Polícia Federal.
  2. gov.br, Antecedentes Criminais, Outras InformaçõesOfficial wordingA certidão é emitida gratuitamente, pela Internet e vale por 90 dias.

2. Birth certificate, and marriage certificate if you are married

The news agency of the Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ, the National Council of Justice) says a unified panel lets people ask over the internet for another copy of birth and death certificates, in paper or digital form.[1] It says the Portal do Registro Civil offers this service and that the amount charged is set in tables by the general inspectorates (corregedorias-gerais) of the state courts of justice.[2]

The first step it lists is to open the Portal do Registro Civil and choose the state, the city and the registry office (cartório).[3] It says the digital document is ready within moments.[4] We found no official Brazilian page that states a validity for the birth certificate.

The Madrid consulate says it cannot issue a second copy of a certificate issued in Brazil or by another consulate or embassy.[5] For certificates it issued itself, it says the applicant signs a declaration that the original has not yet been transcribed in Brazil.[6]

Spain asks for the birth certificate of the country of origin, legalised and translated where needed.[7] Its order says all documents must be in force when you apply.[8] We found no official Spanish text saying whether an extract or a full copy is needed: ask the registry.

If you are married, Spain also asks for the marriage certificate of the country where the marriage took place.[9] The CNJ item above names birth and death certificates only.[10] We found no official Brazilian page on how to obtain a marriage certificate issued in Brazil from abroad: ask the consulate or the registry office.

Sources (10)
  1. cnj.jus.br, Notícia: 2.ª via de certidões de nascimento e de óbitoOfficial wordingPor meio de um painel unificado, é possível, pela Internet, pedir outra via de certidões de nascimento e óbito, tanto física quanto digital.
  2. cnj.jus.br, Notícia: 2.ª via de certidões de nascimento e de óbitoOfficial wordingo Portal do Registro Civil oferece esse serviço, e o valor cobrado pela emissão dos documentos é tabelado pelas corregedorias-gerais dos tribunais de justiça estaduais.
  3. cnj.jus.br, Passo a passo para solicitação de 2.ª via de certidão pela InternetOfficial wordingAcesse o Portal do Registro Civil e selecione o estado, a cidade e o cartório de registro.
  4. cnj.jus.br, Notícia: 2.ª via de certidões de nascimento e de óbitoOfficial wordingJá o documento digital fica pronto em instantes.
  5. gov.br, Segunda Via de Certidão de Registro CivilOfficial wordingO consulado NÃO pode emitir segunda via de certidão emitida no Brasil ou por outro consulado/embaixada.
  6. gov.br, Segunda via de certidões emitidas no Consulado-Geral do Brasil em MadriOfficial wordingPara solicitar a emissão de segunda via, o requerente assinará declaração, sob as penas da lei, de que a certidão original do documento ainda não foi trasladada no Brasil.
  7. Orden JUS/1625/2016, anexo 1.aOfficial wordingCertificado de nacimiento del país de origen debidamente legalizado y traducido en su caso, conforme los Convenios Internacionales.
  8. Orden JUS/1625/2016, anexo, 4. Validez de los documentosOfficial wordingTodos los documentos deberán estar en vigor en el momento de la solicitud.
  9. Orden JUS/1625/2016, anexo 1.aOfficial wordingEn el caso de personas casadas certificado de matrimonio del país de celebración, debidamente traducido y legalizado en su caso.
  10. cnj.jus.br, Notícia: 2.ª via de certidões de nascimento e de óbitoOfficial wordingPor meio de um painel unificado, é possível, pela Internet, pedir outra via de certidões de nascimento e óbito, tanto física quanto digital.

3. Apostille and legalisation

The status table of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) lists Brazil with the dates 2 December 2015 and 14 August 2016, which are its accession and entry-into-force columns.[1] The CNJ says it is responsible for coordinating and regulating the application of the Apostille Convention in Brazil, which its page still words as entering into force in August 2016.[2]

HCCH's page for Brazil says that, because the Judiciary supervises and regulates notarial activities, legal, notarial and registration authorities are competent to issue the certificates (apostilles).[3]

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry says documents issued in Brazil for use in countries on the Convention's list must be apostilled at the authorised cartórios (notary and registry offices).[4] The CNJ page offers a search by state and city for an authorised office.[5] The CNJ's FAQ says a document gets the apostille by being taken to one of the authorised offices.[6] It adds that only the office that holds the recognised signature, seal or stamp of the document's issuer can issue the apostille.[7]

On cost, the FAQ quotes the CNJ resolution: the fee for each apostille equals the cost of a power of attorney without declared value, at the amounts in force in each state.[8] It says the office gives a receipt when you apply, with a delivery deadline that cannot exceed 5 days.[9] We found no official page printing a fixed amount.

The FAQ says consulates and embassies do not provide the apostille service.[10] For someone living outside Brazil, it suggests sending the document to a relative or other responsible person in Brazil, who can have it apostilled in the holder's name.[11]

A page of the Foreign Ministry's site for the Barcelona consulate (listed under old sites taken offline) says Brazilian documents must be apostilled at a Brazilian cartório to be valid in Spain.[12] It says that if the person came to Spain without having the document apostilled in Brazil, it cannot be done at the consulate.[13] It lists birth, marriage and death certificates among the documents to which this procedure applies.[14]

For a public document signed only digitally, the CNJ's FAQ says an apostille can be issued if the notary can recognise its authenticity.[15] It says private individuals who want to apostille certificates issued by federal public bodies follow the standard procedure.[16] We found no official page saying that this covers the certificate printed from the Federal Police site: ask the cartório.

An apostille does not renew a certificate. The CNJ's FAQ says the apostille does not "expire" but does not affect the validity of the apostilled documents: if the certificate has a validity period, the apostille does not extend it.[17] The Spanish Foreign Ministry says the same of legalisation: it has no expiry date, but if the document has a validity period the legalisation does not extend it.[18]

The Barcelona consulate says consular documents to be presented to the Spanish government must be legalised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) after the consulate issues them.[19] Spain's Ministry of Justice warning says legalisation of foreign documents attached to the nationality application is an essential requirement for those documents to be accepted.[20] It describes the Hague apostille as a simplified legalisation made of a single stamp and signature.[21]

Sources (21)
  1. hcch.net, Status table, Convention of 5 October 1961, row BrazilOfficial wordingBrazil 2-XII-2015 A 14-VIII-2016
  2. cnj.jus.br, Apostila da Haia no BrasilOfficial wordingO Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ) é o responsável por coordenar e regulamentar a aplicação da Convenção da Apostila da Haia no Brasil, que entra em vigor em agosto de 2016.
  3. hcch.net, Brazil - Competent Authority (Art. 6)Official wordingthe Judiciary is responsible for supervising and regulating notarial activities in Brazil. Therefore, legal, notarial and registration authorities will have competence to issue certificates by the Brazilian Government.
  4. gov.br, Como fazer o apostilamento de documentosOfficial wordingOs documentos que foram emitidos no Brasil e serão utilizados em países que estão na lista da Convenção da Apostila da Haia devem ser apostilados nos cartórios autorizados.
  5. cnj.jus.br, Cartórios AutorizadosOfficial wordingEncontre um cartório autorizado a emitir o documento:
  6. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Para o cidadãoOfficial wordingPara que um documento receba o certificado da Apostila, basta levá-lo a um dos cartórios autorizados.
  7. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Para o cidadão, 12Official wordingsó estará apto a emitir a apostila o cartório que possuir a firma reconhecida, selo ou carimbo do emissor do documento.
  8. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Para o cidadão, 10Official wordingOs emolumentos corresponderão, para cada apostila emitida, ao custo de Procuração Sem Valor Declarado, segundo os valores vigentes em cada Estado da Federação
  9. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Para o cidadão, 21Official wordingAs autoridades apostilantes darão recibo de protocolo no momento do requerimento, estipulando prazo para entrega, que não poderá ultrapassar 5 (cinco) dias.
  10. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Para o cidadão, 4Official wordingOs consulados e embaixadas não prestam o serviço de apostilamento.
  11. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Para o cidadão, 4Official wordinga sugestão é que o documento seja encaminhado a algum parente ou responsável, no Brasil, que poderá proceder ao apostilamento em seu nome
  12. gov.br, Apostila de Haia, Perguntas frequentes 4Official wordingOs documentos brasileiros devem ser apostilados em um cartório brasileiro para serem válidos na Espanha.
  13. gov.br, Apostila de Haia, Perguntas frequentes 4Official wordingSe a pessoa veio para a Espanha sem ter apostilado o seu documento brasileiro no Brasil, não há como fazê-lo no Consulado.
  14. gov.br, Apostila de HaiaOfficial wordingEsse procedimento é aplicado aos seguintes documentos: certidões de nascimento, casamento e óbito;
  15. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Para o cidadão, 11Official wordingNos casos em que houver documento público assinado apenas digitalmente, pode haver a emissão da apostila desde que seja possível ao notário reconhecer a autenticidade do referido documento.
  16. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Apostila e órgãos públicos federais, 2Official wordingParticulares que desejem realizar o apostilamento de certidões emitidas por órgãos públicos federais devem seguir o procedimento padrão.
  17. cnj.jus.br, Perguntas Frequentes, Para o cidadão, 8Official wordingNão. A Apostila não “vence”, mas também não influi na validade dos documentos apostilados. Por exemplo, se sua certidão possui prazo de validade, a emissão da Apostila não a prolongará.
  18. exteriores.gob.es, Legalización diplomática - 5. Práctica de la legalizaciónOfficial wordingLa legalización carece de fecha de caducidad. No obstante, si el documento tiene un plazo de validez, la legalización no implica su extensión.
  19. gov.br, Atestados e Declarações, Leia com atençãoOfficial wordingDocumentos consulares a serem apresentados perante o governo espanhol deverão ser legalizados pelo MAEC (Ministério de Assuntos Exteriores e Cooperação da Espanha) depois de emitidos pelo Consulado.
  20. Advertencia legalización y apostilla (Ministerio de Justicia), advertenciaOfficial wordingLa legalización de los documentos extranjeros aportados a la solicitud de nacionalidad española por residencia constituye un requisito esencial para la aceptación de dicha documentación
  21. Advertencia legalización y apostilla (Ministerio de Justicia), advertencia, punto 2Official wordingEl Convenio de La Haya es un trámite que simplifica la legalización de documentos públicos. Consiste en la estampación de un solo sello y firma en el documento.

4. Translation into Spanish

The Spanish Ministry of Justice warning says the translation is done or checked at Spanish consulates abroad, or at the consulates in Spain of the document's country of origin, and that the documents must then be legalised.[1] It adds that the translation or check may also be done by a sworn translator-interpreter named by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[2]

The Federal Police page says its certificate is supplied only in Portuguese.[3] The Barcelona consulate says the Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais it issues is in Brazilian Portuguese.[4] The old Barcelona consulate page (taken offline) says a Brazilian document must be apostilled by a cartório in Brazil and translated by a sworn translator in Spain.[5]

Sources (5)
  1. Advertencia legalización y apostilla (Ministerio de Justicia), advertenciaOfficial wordingha de realizarse o cotejarse en las Oficinas Consulares de España en el extranjero o en las del país de origen del documento en España y posteriormente deben legalizarse
  2. Advertencia legalización y apostilla (Ministerio de Justicia), advertenciaOfficial wordingExiste la posibilidad de que la traducción o cotejo de esta la lleve a cabo un intérprete-traductor jurado nombrado por el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores
  3. gov.br, ObservaçõesOfficial wordingA Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais emitida pela Polícia Federal é fornecida apenas em português.
  4. gov.br, Atestados e Declarações, Leia com atençãoOfficial wordingTodos os Atestados e a Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais são emitidos em português do Brasil.
  5. gov.br, Apostila de HaiaOfficial wordingPara que um documento brasileiro tenha validade na Espanha, ele deverá ser apostilado pelos cartórios apostilantes no Brasil e traduzido por tradutor juramentado na Espanha.

5. Consulates in Spain

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry's page on Spain lists a consulate-general in Madrid[1] and one in Barcelona.[2]

The Madrid consulate says it receives people in person from Monday to Friday, only by prior appointment in the e-consular system.[3] The Barcelona consulate says visits are by appointment only and that all services must be requested through e-consular.[4]

The Madrid consulate's contact table lists a notarial sector that handles attestations and declarations, recognition of signatures, powers of attorney and deeds.[5] The Barcelona consulate says its attestations and declarations have a processing time of 15 working days after it receives all the documents by post.[6]

Sources (6)
  1. gov.br, EspanhaOfficial wordingConsulado-Geral em Madri
  2. gov.br, EspanhaOfficial wordingConsulado-Geral em Barcelona
  3. gov.br, Fale ConoscoOfficial wordingAtendimento presencial: de segunda a sexta-feira, exclusivamente mediante agendamento prévio no sistema e-consular;
  4. gov.br, Página inicial do Consulado-Geral em BarcelonaOfficial wordingOs atendimentos no Consulado são feitos apenas mediante agendamento. Todos os serviços devem ser solicitados por meio do e-consular.
  5. gov.br, Fale Conosco, tabela de setoresOfficial wordingNotarial Atestados e declarações, reconhecimento de firmas, procuração e escrituras, autorização de viagem para menor, autorização para concessão de passaporte no Brasil, CPF
  6. gov.br, Atestados e Declarações, Leia com atençãoOfficial wordingTodos os Atestados e Declarações têm prazo de processamento de 15 dias úteis após o recebimento de todos os documentos por correio postal.

6. Order of requests and validity

Spain's order says that all documents must be in force when you apply.[1] For certificates, the validity stated on the certificate itself counts,[2] and a criminal record certificate with no stated validity counts for six months from the day it was issued.[3]

Legalisation does not make a document last longer. Spain's Foreign Ministry says legalisation has no expiry date but that, if the document has a validity period, legalisation does not extend it.[4]

When you create the online application you have two months to complete and file it, or it is deleted.[5]

Our arithmetic, not an official rule. The sources above fix how long a document stays valid, not the order in which you request things. If the validity counts from the day of issue, and the apostille and a sworn translation take time afterwards, the request date matters most for the documents with the shortest validity. Type a date in the clock below to see when your criminal record certificate stops being valid, then count back the time the apostille and the translation take in your case.

  1. Find out what validity, if any, each issuer prints on its certificate (the sections above say what we found).
  2. Request first the documents that need an apostille and a sworn translation, since those steps come after issue.
  3. Request the criminal record certificate when you can still finish its apostille and translation inside its validity.
  4. Type its issue date in the clock below and file before the "valid until" date it shows.
  5. Create the online application only when you are close to filing: from creation you have two months.
Sources (5)
  1. Orden JUS/1625/2016, anexo, 4. Validez de los documentosOfficial wordingTodos los documentos deberán estar en vigor en el momento de la solicitud.
  2. Orden JUS/1625/2016, anexo, 4. Validez de los documentosOfficial wordingPara determinar la validez en el caso de los certificados se atenderá al plazo de vigencia que conste en el propio documento.
  3. Orden JUS/1625/2016, anexo, 4. Validez de los documentosOfficial wordingEn el caso de certificados de antecedentes penales en los que no conste plazo de validez, se entenderá que tienen una vigencia de seis meses a contar desde su expedición.
  4. exteriores.gob.es, Legalización diplomática - 5. Práctica de la legalizaciónOfficial wordingLa legalización carece de fecha de caducidad. No obstante, si el documento tiene un plazo de validez, la legalización no implica su extensión.
  5. sede.mjusticia.gob.es, página del trámiteOfficial wordingDispone de dos meses desde la fecha de creación para completar su solicitud, si pasado ese plazo no ha firmado y presentado su solicitud, se borrará de manera automática.

Next steps

When to see a lawyer

  • A document is refused and you do not know why.
  • Your names are spelled differently in your documents.
  • A required document cannot be obtained.
  • You are near a deadline.

These are general triggers, not an assessment of your case. A lawyer should confirm what applies to you. CiviqPass does not name or recommend a lawyer.

The nationality file, step by step

Your file silent after a year

Years to Spanish nationality by country

Criminal record certificate from Brazil: who issues it and how long it stays valid

Where is my Spanish nationality file? The official ways to check it

The Spanish nationality oath (jura): what to bring and where to do it

Years, exams and fee for Spanish nationality by country of origin: open data

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What is inside

Explanation written with AI from the official source cited on this page.

CiviqPass is an independent service. Built from the texts linked beside each line; procedures change, so confirm on the official pages.