Criminal record certificate from Paraguay for a Spanish nationality file: who issues it and how long it stays valid
What the official pages of Paraguay and of Spain say about the criminal record certificate: who issues it, how to ask for it from Spain, cost and time where they are stated, and how long it counts for your file, with a source under every line. Reading this page is free.
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In short
- Criminal record: The Paraguayan Judiciary issues Antecedentes Penales online for a fee of G. 43.051, but for use abroad the document must be printed and legalised in person at the Palacio de Justicia, with a legalisation fee printed on the same page (G. 43.051 again); the police issue a separate Certificado de Antecedente Policial for Gs. 20.000. We found no page saying which of the two Spain's registry wants, and no validity period on either page (a Barcelona consulate note gives three months for another Spanish procedure), so the clock below uses Spain's six months where a certificate states none.
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Last checked: 19 October 2026. Check the official page: sede.mjusticia.gob.es.
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1. Criminal record certificate
The Paraguayan Judiciary's page on electronic judicial reports says the platform includes the Antecedentes Judiciales that belong to the criminal jurisdiction (fuero Penal).[1] Another Judiciary page says its Informaciones Judiciales office is in charge of issuing the Antecedentes Penales of persons.[2]
The Judiciary's page says the person no longer needs to go to the court headquarters, because the document can be obtained from wherever there is internet, mobile phones included.[3] The Supreme Court's online form starts with the Paraguayan identity number and its associated IC.[4] The fee on the Judiciary's page is G. 43.051.[5] The page says the document is electronic with legal validity, so a printed copy does not need to be requested.[6] For use abroad, the same page says the document must be printed to be legalised (see the apostille section).[7]
We found no page saying whether a person living outside Paraguay can use this online route. The Judiciary's page adds that where the data match an entry in the Registro Penal or Civil of JUDISOFT, the Acordada says the person must go to the office to get the document.[8]
The Police's Identificaciones page says the Policía Nacional's powers include issuing the Certificado de Antecedente Policial.[9] It asks the applicant for a valid identity card,[10] gives a fee of Gs. 20.000[11] and a delivery time of "Al instante" (immediately).[12] For people with an incapacity or a serious illness, or who are outside the country, it says the request is made through the father or mother, siblings or children (the page writes "mayores": older, of age), the spouse or the legal representative, duly proven.[13] The page does not mention consulates.
Two kinds of certificate. Spain asks for the certificado de antecedentes penales of the country of origin.[14] The Judiciary's pages use the term Antecedentes Penales for what its office issues,[15] while the police document is a Certificado de Antecedente Policial.[16] We found no Spanish text saying whether the police certificate is accepted in its place. A 2016 Judiciary news item says that Paraguayans living in Spain use the Antecedentes Penales de las Personas for the residence card, dual nationality and arraigo social;[17] it does not mention nationality by residence. We found no page saying which of the two is meant for this file: ask the Spanish civil registry and the issuer.
Validity. Spain's order says all documents must be in force when you apply, that the validity stated on a certificate itself counts, and that a criminal record certificate with no stated validity counts for six months from issue.[18][19][20] The Judiciary's page says the electronic document has legal validity,[21] but we found no validity period printed on the Judiciary's page or on the police page. The Barcelona consulate's site, in a note headed "Regularización extraordinaria" (another Spanish procedure), says the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales is valid for three months.[22] For nationality by residence the clock below uses Spain's six months when the certificate states no validity: check what yours prints.
Spain asks for the criminal record certificate of the country of origin, legalised and translated, and says that as a rule it must be issued by the competent body of that country.[23][24]
Sources (24)
Next steps
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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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