Criminal record certificate from Ukraine for a Spanish nationality file: who issues it and how long it stays valid
What the official pages of Ukraine 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: Ukraine issues the certificate as an extract from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' system, which the Ministry says can be requested online with a qualified electronic signature; the service guide says no Ukrainian legal act sets a validity period for it, and the clock below uses Spain's six months.
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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 Ukrainian government's service guide on Diia says that certificates on criminal prosecution and on the absence or presence of a conviction are issued as extracts (витяг) from an information-analytical system.[1] The Ministry of Internal Affairs' page says you can submit a request in electronic form and receive the certificate as an extract through its online service, by logging in to a personal account with a qualified electronic signature.[2] It also says the Ministry's service centres do not issue paper certificates.[3]
The Ministry's explanatory page says the system produces two kinds of extract, at the applicant's choice: a short one on the absence or presence of a conviction, and a full one that also covers criminal prosecution and restrictions under criminal procedure law.[4] It says the applicant chooses the form of the extract: electronic, paper, or paper with an apostille.[5]
Short or full. The service guide says citizens must ask the organisation they are submitting the extract to which kind it requires, short or full.[6] We found no Spanish official text saying which of the two Spain wants: ask the registry.
For a paper extract, the Ministry's page says the request is made in person by the applicant or by a person the applicant has authorised in the established way.[7] It says the representative shows their own identity document and a document authorising them to represent the applicant, and provides a copy of that document and a copy of the identity document of the person represented.[8] The page does not say what form the authorisation must take, or whether one made in Spain is accepted: ask the Ministry.
On cost and time, the Diia page for the online service says the service is free of charge.[9] It says the extract is ready within 10 working days if the data are in order, and within 30 calendar days if they need additional checking.[10] The Ministry's explanatory page says the answer to a request is given within up to 30 calendar days.[11]
A Ministry news item dated 11.09.2025 says the extract can be ordered online, in the Unified Window for Citizens on the Ministry's site, with or without an apostille, that producing the extract takes up to 30 days, and that an apostille adds up to 5 days of waiting.[12] A Diia news item of the same date says that, for now, delivery of the extract is available only within Ukraine.[13]
An electronic extract takes no apostille. The Ministry's page says an extract in electronic form cannot have an apostille or consular legalisation placed on it.[14] We found no Spanish official text saying whether an electronic extract is accepted for a nationality file: ask the registry.
For people living abroad, the service guide says Ukrainian citizens who live abroad long-term or permanently can apply to the consular section of the Ukrainian Embassy in the country where they are staying for information from that system.[15] The page of the Embassy of Ukraine in Spain (published 8 March 2024) says that, if you have generated an electronic extract and apply to its consular section for a paper document, a consular official can issue a certificate in Ukrainian and Spanish after checking the extract and payment of the consular fee; it gives the cost of such a certificate as 28 euro on the ordinary tariff and 56 euro on the urgent tariff.[16] It adds that the certificate issued by the consular section is not accepted by all Spanish state bodies and that, most likely, a paper extract with an apostille will be asked for.[17] The page dates from 2024: ask the Embassy what applies now.
Validity. The service guide says no Ukrainian legal act sets a validity period for the extract, and that it shows the results of the check as they stand at the date and time it is generated.[18] Spain's order says all documents must be in force when you apply,[19] and that a criminal record certificate with no stated validity counts as valid for six months from issue.[20] If your extract prints a term, Spain's order says the term stated in the document applies.[21] The clock below uses the six months only if your extract states no validity.[22][23]
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.[24][25]
Sources (25)
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