Certificado de Antecedentes Penales
Get a criminal record certificate
Obtain the Spanish or foreign criminal-record certificate required by a specific immigration, nationality or other procedure.
- Who it is for
- EU and non-EU citizens
- Legal deadline
- receiving-procedure recency rule
- How long it takes
- country and channel dependent; no universal processing time
- Cost
- current issuing-authority fee
- Where
- Online or in person · Ministerio de Justicia / foreign issuing authority
Steps
- Identify exactly which country's certificate and which recency/legalisation standard the receiving procedure requires.sede.mjusticia.gob.es
- For the Spanish certificate, request it through the Ministry of Justice and pay Modelo 790-006 where required.mjusticia.gob.es
- For a foreign certificate, check whether apostille/legalisation and sworn translation are required for use in Spain.exteriores.gob.es
That is the whole procedure
If you would rather go through yours with someone, describe it to NEXO first. You will find out what applies to you, and whether you need a person.
What to bring
- Identity and application data required by the issuing authority.sede.mjusticia.gob.es
- Proof of the applicable fee and any authorization/representation documents required by the issuing route.mjusticia.gob.es
What the official sources say
The Spanish criminal-record certificate uses Modelo 790-006 under the current Justice process.mjusticia.gob.es
Apostille/legalisation is not automatically required for a Spanish certificate used with a Spanish authority; authentication depends on the document's destination and applicable treaty/exemption.exteriores.gob.es
There is no safe universal “3–6 month validity” rule for every use; follow the receiving procedure's recency requirement.sede.mjusticia.gob.es
What we see in practice
NEXO's own observations. They are not official information and carry no source.
- Order foreign certificates early, but do not promise one country's processing time based on another country's experience.
Questions people ask
Do I always need an apostille?
No. It depends on the issuing country, destination procedure and treaty/exemption.exteriores.gob.es
How old can the certificate be?
Use the receiving procedure's current recency rule; do not apply a universal validity period.
Will an old minor conviction be ignored?
Do not promise that. Consequences are procedure-specific and require professional review.
What gets it refused or delayed
- The wrong certificate, stale document, missing legalisation/translation or incomplete issuing-authority requirements are used.sede.mjusticia.gob.es
Does any of this sound like you?
- A conviction exists, cancellation/rehabilitation is relevant, or you need to know what the record means for immigration or nationality eligibility.
Cases like these need an immigration lawyer. Describe yours to NEXO first, so you know what to ask and what to bring.