Documents from China 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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Last checked: 20 October 2026. Check the official page: sede.mjusticia.gob.es.

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• Criminal record
• Birth and marriage
• Apostille
• Translation
• Consulates
• Order
• Validity clock

1. Criminal record certificate

The rules of the Ministry of Public Security on criminal-record queries, as published on the website of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, say that a Chinese citizen's request is received by the police station (派出所) of the place of household registration or of residence.^[1] They say that an individual can query their own record or authorise someone else, who must have full civil capacity,^[2] and that a person acting for the applicant must also submit a power of attorney and their own valid identity document.^[3]

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

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

The Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Justice's page says that a birth notarisation (出生公证) is a notarisation in which a notary office certifies, at the request of the person or their guardian, the legal fact of a birth in China, including the parents' basic details.^[1] It says there are two kinds: direct proof, where the certificate shows the date and place of birth and the biological parents, and indirect proof, which certifies that the copy of the birth medical certificate supplied matches the original; it adds that different countries or bodies have different requirements.^[2]

The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice's page says that a birth notarisation can be requested from the notary office of the place of household registration, of habitual residence or of birth.^[3] The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' FAQ and the Embassy's notary page, quoted in the criminal record section, say that a birth that occurred in China is dealt with by a notary office in China.^[4][5]

Spain asks for the birth certificate of the country of origin, legalised and translated where needed.^[6] If you are married, it also asks for the marriage certificate of the country where the marriage took place.^[7] The Embassy's notary page says that marriage certificates issued in China, like driving licences and degree certificates, should be notarised in China if that is needed.^[8]

3. Apostille and legalisation

The HCCH status table lists China with accession on 8 March 2023 and entry into force on 7 November 2023.^[1] Its Type column shows A** for China, which the table's key defines as Objection.^[2] The HCCH notifications page for China lists one objection, from India, dated 8 September 2023.^[3] It names no other State, and no objection from Spain appears on it. The Embassy of China in Spain's notice of 30 October 2023 says that from 7 November 2023 the Convention enters into force for China and Spain.^[4]

The HCCH authority page says that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China is the competent authority for issuing an apostille on public documents issued in mainland China.^[5] It says that Foreign Affairs Offices entrusted by the Ministry can also issue it for documents issued within their own administrative jurisdiction, and the page lists them.^[6] That page is headed China (Mainland); we did not read the separate HCCH pages for Hong Kong and Macao.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' consular FAQ says that a document issued in China for use abroad must, where the country of use requires an apostille or consular legalisation, first be notarised by a notary office in China or certified by a certifying body.^[7] It says the Ministry can issue apostilles for notarial certificates and other certifying documents issued by notary or certifying bodies anywhere in the country.^[8] The Embassy's notice says that public documents from mainland China covered by the Convention and sent for use in Spain need to request the apostille.^[9]

The Spanish Embassy in Beijing's consular page says that since 7 November 2023 consular legalisation is no longer needed for documents issued in China.^[10] The Spanish Consulate General in Shanghai's page of 9 November 2023 says that, for a Chinese document to be valid before a Spanish body, it must be notarised before a Chinese notary and then legalised only by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in that order.^[11]

On how to apply, the Ministry's FAQ says that you can book through the Alipay mini-programme "Consular Service Centre" (领事服务中心) and then go to the Ministry's reception office at the booked time.^[12] It adds that individuals' civil documents can be handled by mail through the same mini-programme without attending; the sentence ends with the words "mainland only" (仅限内地), and the page does not say whether the option can be used from outside the mainland.^[13] It says that, if the applicant cannot go back in person, another person can act for them.^[14] It also says that Chinese embassies and consulates abroad do not accept requests for the apostille or consular legalisation of notarial certificates or other documents issued in China.^[15]

The FAQ gives the Ministry's apostille fee as 50 yuan per civil-affairs document and 100 yuan per commercial document,^[16] and says that urgent service adds 50 yuan per urgent item.^[17] The Ministry's procedure page says that ordinary documents are completed on the 4th working day after acceptance (issued at the window or sent out) and urgent ones on the 2nd, counting the day of handling,^[18] and that the apostille time is the same as for single legalisation.^[19]

Spain's Foreign Ministry says documents from countries that signed the Apostille Convention are not legalised.^[20] Its Ministry of Justice says the Hague Convention simplifies legalisation of public documents and consists of a single stamp and signature on the document.^[21] It calls legalisation of foreign documents an essential requirement.^[22]

Spain's Foreign Ministry says, about its own diplomatic legalisation, that legalisation has no expiry date but, if the document has a validity period, legalisation does not extend it.^[23] The Spanish Embassy in Beijing's page says that a legalisation or apostille does not expire but, if the document has a limited validity, the legalisation or apostille has the same limit.^[24] We found no Chinese page that states a validity for an apostille itself.

4. Translation into Spanish

The Spanish Consulate General in Shanghai's page of 9 November 2023 says that the Chinese notary prepares a notarial act (公证书) from the document, with a photocopy and incorporating a translation into Spanish, and adds in brackets that a later translation of the documents is therefore not necessary.^[1] The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' country table, which the Ministry says is for reference only and to be confirmed in advance with the receiving body,^[2] says for Spain that a Spanish or English translation is needed.^[3] The Ministry's FAQ says that documents sent abroad should generally carry a translation into the language the country of use requires.^[4]

Spain's order says "traducido" for the criminal record and "traducido en su caso" for the birth certificate.^[5][6] The Spanish Ministry of Justice warning says translation is done or checked at Spanish consulates abroad or at the consular offices in Spain of the document's country of origin, and that the documents must then be legalised. It adds that a sworn translator-interpreter named by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can do the translation or check.^[7][8]

5. Consulates in Spain

The Embassy of China in Spain's page on consular districts says that the Embassy's district is the whole of Spain except Catalonia and that the Consulate General in Barcelona's district is Catalonia.^[1] The Embassy's notary page lists a notarised power of attorney (委托书公证), for which the party must apply in person and sign before a consular officer.^[2]

The Barcelona Consulate General's page on overseas remote video notarisation (25 June 2025) says that the party must be a mainland resident with Chinese nationality living long-term in Catalonia,^[3] that the matters that can be applied for include declarations, powers of attorney, birth, death, kinship and absence of a criminal record, among others,^[4] and that the party goes in person to the consulate and completes the procedure under the notary's video guidance.^[5] It says the notary fee is paid directly to the notary office in China at its local standard,^[6] and that the Consulate General charges nothing for the video notarisation.^[7]

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]

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.

Next steps

The nationality file, step by step

Your file silent after a year

Years to Spanish nationality by country

Criminal record certificate from China: 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

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.