Documents from Venezuela 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: 19 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 Venezuelan consulate in Barcelona says in its FAQ that the criminal record certificate is handled directly through the Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace's page "Solicitud de Certificación de Antecedentes Penales para Trámites Internacionales".^[1]

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

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

The Barcelona consulate's list of documents that are apostilled electronically includes birth, marriage and death certificates issued by the Registro Civil or other bodies,^[1] and certified copies of them.^[2]

The consulate's FAQ says the birth certificate is requested in Venezuela, and that to present it to the Spanish authorities it must be legalised, also in Venezuela, and then apostilled, in Venezuela or at the consulate.^[3] A consulate notice dated 11 June 2026 says the documents on that list will no longer be apostilled through the consulate.^[4] The FAQ carries no date, so follow the notice and check which route applies to your document.

We found no readable official page on how to request a birth or marriage certificate from abroad, and none that states a validity for them: ask the consulate.

Spain asks for the birth certificate of the country of origin, legalised and translated where needed.^[5] If you are married, Spain also asks for the marriage certificate of the country where the marriage took place.^[6]

3. Apostille and legalisation

The HCCH status table for the 1961 Apostille Convention records Venezuela with its accession on 1 July 1998 and entry into force on 16 March 1999.^[1]

The HCCH page for Venezuela names the Ministry of Popular Power for Foreign Affairs as the designated competent authority.^[2] It lists an e-register for apostilles issued after 2 May 2019 at consultalegalizacionve.mppre.gob.ve.^[3]

The Foreign Ministry's page says that, as a general rule unless a rule exempts it, a Venezuelan public document must be legalised or apostilled to be valid abroad.^[4]

To legalise or apostille a document, the page says you must create a user account on the web portal of the Electronic Legalisation and Apostille System (SLAE).^[5] You then choose the office for your location and register for an appointment.^[6] The page also says the document holder carries out the procedures and may delegate attendance at the appointment to a person authorised by a notarised power of attorney.^[7]

The Foreign Ministry says appointment offices of the system began opening in Venezuelan embassies and consulates abroad in September 2019.^[8]

On cost, the Foreign Ministry's page says the electronic legalisation or apostille procedure is completely free.^[9] The same page says information on paying the fee abroad must be checked on the embassy or consulate page where you have your appointment.^[10] We found no official page that states a consular apostille fee.

For the criminal record certificate, the Foreign Ministry's history section (2019-2020 entry) mentions an electronic apostille (e-App) for the certification issued by the interior and justice ministry.^[11] The Barcelona consulate's FAQ says you can request the apostille yourself on the SLAE page, without going through the consulate.^[12] It says you receive it as a PDF by email within no more than 10 days of requesting it.^[13] The FAQ describes the order as: first the certificate from the interior ministry, then the apostille through the SLAE.^[14]

For civil documents, the Barcelona consulate says the electronic apostille of numerous documents is requested directly on the online portal of the SAREN (registries and notaries service),^[15] and that the apostille of the other documents continues through the consulate.^[16] Its apostille page says legalisation and the later apostille request for many documents issued by the SAREN are now fully electronic.^[17]

The consulate's FAQ also says it apostilles many public documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, on condition that they were previously legalised in Venezuela.^[18] A consulate notice dated 11 June 2026 says the documents on the SAREN list, which includes birth and marriage certificates, are no longer apostilled through the consulate.^[19][20] The FAQ carries no date, so follow the notice and check which route applies to your document. It says it only puts the apostille on documents that are already legalised.^[21]

The Spanish consulate in Caracas says documents apostilled by the authorities of the issuing country need no further procedure at the consular office and can be presented directly in Spain.^[22] Spain's Ministry of Justice says the apostille consists of a single stamp and signature on the document.^[23]

4. Translation into Spanish

Spain's rule for the birth certificate is "traducido en su caso" (translated where needed).^[1] We found no official text saying whether a Spanish-language document needs a translation: ask the registry.

The Spanish Ministry of Justice warning says translation has to be made or checked at Spain's consular offices abroad or at those of the document's country of origin in Spain, and the documents must then be legalised.^[2] It adds that a sworn translator-interpreter named by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can do the translation or check.^[3]

5. Consulates in Spain

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry's consulate directory lists consulates in Spain in Barcelona, Madrid, Vigo and Bilbao,^[1] and in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.^[2]

We read the service pages of the Barcelona consulate only; other consulates may publish different procedures.

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 Venezuela: 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.