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Documents from Morocco 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.

Validity clock: your dates, worked out

Type a date you already have and read the date it leads to, with the official rule beside it. Nothing is stored or sent: the calculation runs in your browser. Add a date to your calendar with a reminder.

Sources (2)
Orden JUS/1625/2016, anexo, 4. Validez de los documentosOfficial wordingTodos los documentos deberán estar en vigor en el momento de la solicitud.
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.
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

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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.

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  • The order to ask for each document, with the dates that can already be worked out
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In short

  • Criminal record: The Moroccan Foreign Ministry's consular guide says the extract is issued by the Centre National du Casier Judiciaire in Rabat and by local centres at the courts of first instance, and people born in Morocco can apply online and collect it at their birthplace court; we found no validity period on it, so the calculator at the top uses Spain's six months.
  • Birth and marriage: The birth extract and the full copy come from the civil-status officer of the place where the birth was declared, and people born in Morocco can order them on watiqa.ma; we found no official Spanish text saying whether an extract or a full copy is needed, so ask the registry.
  • Apostille: Morocco deposited its accession to the Apostille Convention on 27 November 2015, the authorities include the walis and governors, and you apply by request or on apostille.ma; the 1997 Spain-Morocco convention may exempt some civil-registry certificates, but we found no Ministry of Justice page confirming it for nationality files, so ask before skipping an apostille.
  • Translation: Translations into Spanish have official status if made by a sworn translator-interpreter holding the title from Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has a search tool for them.
  • 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 that you can finish its apostille and translation while it is still valid; the calculator at the top gives the dates.

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

Last checked: 18 October 2026. Check the official page: sede.mjusticia.gob.es.

CiviqPass is an independent service.

1. Criminal record certificate

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry's consular guide says the extract is issued by the Centre National du Casier Judiciaire at the Ministry of Justice in Rabat and by local centres at the courts of first instance.[1]

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

Sources (1)
  1. consulat.ma, Casier judiciare pour les marocains > PrésentationOfficial wordingL’extrait du casier judiciaire (Bulletin n°3) est délivré par le Centre National du Casier Judiciaire auprès du Ministère de la Justice à Rabat et par des Centres locaux auprès des tribunaux de première instance.

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

The birth extract is issued by the civil-status officer of the place where the birth was declared or transcribed, in Morocco or through the consular services.[1] The full copy is issued by the same officer.[2]

The Foreign Ministry says people born in Morocco can order birth certificates on www.watiqa.ma and receive them at home.[3]

Spain asks for the birth certificate of the country of origin, legalised and translated where needed.[4] 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.[5] We found no readable official Moroccan page on how to obtain one from abroad: ask the consulate.

Sources (5)
  1. consulat.ma, Famille et Mariage > Extrait d’acte de naissance > PrésentationOfficial wordingL’extrait d’acte de naissance est délivré par l’officier d’état civil du lieu de déclaration ou de transcription de la naissance (au Maroc ou auprès des services consulaires).
  2. consulat.ma, Famille et Mariage > Copie intégrale de l’acte de naissance > PrésentationOfficial wordingLa copie intégrale est délivrée par l’officier d’état civil du lieu de déclaration ou de transcription de la naissance (au Maroc ou auprès des services consulaires).
  3. consulat.ma, Famille et Mariage > Extrait d’acte de naissance > PrésentationOfficial wordingLes personnes nées au Maroc peuvent demander leurs actes de naissance à travers le site internet www.watiqa.ma et les recevoir directement chez eux.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

3. Apostille and legalisation

Morocco deposited its accession to the Hague Apostille Convention on 27 November 2015.[1] HCCH lists it as a party and records an objection by Germany, not by Spain: see the country finder on the "nationality file" page of this site.

The Moroccan authorities that issue the apostille include the walis and governors for acts of administrative authorities.[2] The HCCH page for Morocco designates the provincial and prefectural local authorities under the Ministry of Interior.[3]

To apply, you write a request or apply online on www.apostille.ma, set up by the ministries of Interior and Justice.[4] The portal's own page sets out the competent authorities.[5]

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs says documents from countries party to the Convention are not legalised.[6] The Spanish consulate in Tangier says legalisation of Moroccan public documents must be done by the Moroccan authorities (the Hague apostille).[7]

The 1997 Spain–Morocco convention. It says certificates of civil-registry acts issued by a competent authority and bearing its official seal need no legalisation.[8] It also says that documents covered by the convention are exempt from legalisation or any equivalent formality when presented in the other State.[9] We found no Ministry of Justice page saying whether this applies to nationality files, and the Ministry's warning calls legalisation an essential requirement.[10] Ask the Spanish Ministry of Justice or the registry before you skip an apostille.

Sources (10)
  1. apostille.ma, PrésentationOfficial wordingle Royaume du Maroc a déposé le 27 novembre 2015, les instruments d’adhésion à la Convention
  2. consulat.ma, Documents individuels > Apostille > PrésentationOfficial wordingLes Walis et Gouverneurs ou leurs représentants au niveau des provinces et des préfectures, pour les actes délivrés par les autorités administratives et les actes sous-seing privé visés par les services d’enregistrement ou ceux légalisés par les Autorités Administratives concernées.
  3. hcch.net, Maroc - Autorité compétente (art. 6)Official wordingle Royaume du Maroc désigne les autorités locales au niveau des provinces et préfectures relevant du Ministère de l'Intérieur en tant qu'autorités prises ès qualités, auxquelles est attribuée compétence pour délivrer l'apostille prévue à l'article 3, alinéa premier
  4. consulat.ma, Documents individuels > Apostille > ProcédureOfficial wordingIl faut formuler une demande écrite (voir modèle-type) ; Ou, une demande en ligne sur le site internet www.apostille.ma, mis en place par les ministères de l’Intérieur et de la Justice.
  5. apostille.ma, FAQ > Quelles sont les autorités chargées d’émettre l’apostille ?Official wordingLe Royaume du Maroc a désigné les autorités compétentes suivantes pour émettre l’apostille :
  6. exteriores.gob.es, Legalización diplomática > Exenciones a la legalización diplomática > 2.1 ConvenOfficial wordingNo se legalizan documentos de países firmantes del Convenio de la Apostilla
  7. exteriores.gob.es, APOSTILLA DE LA HAYA (Legalizaciones)Official wordingtoda legalización de documentos públicos marroquíes debe efectuarse por las Autoridades competentes de este país (APOSTILLA DE LA HAYA)
  8. boe.es, Convenio de 30 mayo 1997 > Artículo 39Official wordingLas certificaciones de las actas del registro civil expedidas por una autoridad competente en el territorio de una de las Partes Contratantes y que estén provistas de su sello oficial no necesitarán ser legalizadas
  9. boe.es, Convenio de 30 mayo 1997 > Artículo 40. Dispensa de legalizaciónOfficial wordingestarán dispensados de legalización o de cualquier otra formalidad equivalente cuando deban presentarse en territorio del otro Estado.
  10. 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

4. Translation into Spanish

Translations into Spanish have official status if they are made by someone holding the title of sworn translator-interpreter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[1] The Ministry has a search tool for sworn translators.[2]

The Spanish Ministry of Justice warning says translation is done or checked at Spanish consulates abroad, or by a sworn translator named by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3][4]

Sources (4)
  1. exteriores.gob.es, Traductores/as - Intérpretes Jurados/as > Traducciones oficialesOfficial wordingLas traducciones e interpretaciones de una lengua extranjera al castellano y viceversa tendrán carácter oficial si han sido realizadas por quien se encuentre en posesión del título
  2. exteriores.gob.es, Traductores e intérpretesOfficial wordingUn traductor jurado es un profesional que puede traducir documentación escrita de un idioma a otro;
  3. 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
  4. 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

5. Consulates in Spain

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry's directory lists the consulates general, for example the one in Madrid.[1]

Consulates issue full copies and extracts of acts recorded in their own civil-status registers.[2] They are authorised to legalise signatures on private deeds of Moroccans residing in their district.[3]

Sources (3)
  1. diplomatie.ma, AnnuaireOfficial wordingCONSULAT GÉNÉRAL DU ROYAUME DU MAROC A MADRID Chef de poste : MONSIEUR ARIFI KAMAL Tél +(34) 912 10 93 00 Fax +(34) 910 587 494 Adresse Calle Leizaran N°31 CP 28002 MADRID
  2. consulat.ma, Famille et Mariage > Transcription de naissance > PrésentationOfficial wordingDélivrent des copies intégrales et des extraits des actes consignés sur leurs registres de l’état civil.
  3. consulat.ma, Documents individuels > Légalisations de signatures > Au niveau des Missions DipOfficial wordingLes services consulaires sont habilités à légaliser les signatures apposées sur les actes sous seing privé passés par les Marocains résidant dans leur circonscription consulaire.

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 Morocco: 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

Moroccans abroad: passport, customs, car and property tax (in French)

Moroccans abroad: passport, customs, car and property tax (in Arabic)

Moroccans abroad: passport, customs, car and property tax (in Spanish)

Moroccans abroad: passport, customs, car and property tax (in Dutch)

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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.