Sworn translator in Barcelona
Getting an official sworn translation in Barcelona does not require any travel: send us a scan of your document and a sworn translator-interpreter appointed by the MAEC signs the translation, which is officially valid throughout Spain, Catalonia included. You receive it as an e-signed PDF or on paper. We work in 39 languages and confirm the price and delivery date in writing.
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Attach your document and tell us the language and where you need to submit it. We will reply with a fixed price and a written delivery date.
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- Translators appointed by the MAEC
- Official validity throughout Spain
- PDF with e-signature and paper copy
- Delivery date in writing
Where will you submit your sworn translation in Barcelona?
You need a sworn translation whenever a document in another language has to be accepted by a public authority, a court or a notary in Spain. These are the offices in Barcelona where sworn translations are submitted most often, and the documents each one usually asks for. Every authority sets its own requirements, so check them on its official website first, especially whether an apostille is also needed.
Immigration Offices in Barcelona (Extranjería)
Run by the Government Sub-delegation in Barcelona: NIE, TIE, arraigo, residence and family reunification.
Barcelona Civil Registry (Registre Civil)
Registration of births and marriages celebrated abroad, and Spanish nationality applications.
Barcelona Provincial Traffic Office (DGT)
Exchanging a driving licence issued outside Spain. We translate the licence; you or your gestoría handle the exchange.
Ciutat de la Justícia and notaries
Proceedings at the judicial complex shared by Barcelona and L’Hospitalet, and deeds involving foreign parties or documents.
Universities in Barcelona
Universitat de Barcelona, Autònoma, Pompeu Fabra and Politècnica: enrolment, master’s degrees and grants for studies completed abroad.
Consulates and companies
Documents for their nationals, subsidiaries, tenders and foreign trade. Some consulates publish lists of sworn translators.
Requirements and addresses are kept up to date on the official websites (in Spanish): General State Administration, Ministry of Justice, DGT and Judiciary.
MAEC or Generalitat sworn translator?
Two kinds of appointment coexist in Barcelona. Sworn translator-interpreters appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) translate between Spanish and another language, and their translations are official throughout Spain, including before Catalan authorities. The Generalitat de Catalunya also appoints sworn translators and interpreters for Catalan.
For the Immigration Office, the Civil Registry, the DGT, the courts or the universities, a sworn translation into Spanish is the usual choice. If your procedure requires the text in Catalan, or you need to submit a document written in Catalan abroad, mention it when you ask for a quote and we will tell you which translation you need. Many documents from other EU countries, such as Italy or France, may also be exempt from the apostille. If the document is going to another country, the apostille is added to the original before translation.
How to order your sworn translation in Barcelona without leaving home
The whole process is handled remotely, from the city itself or any town in the province: L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Terrassa, Sabadell, Mataró, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Cornellà de Llobregat, Granollers or Manresa.
Send the scanned document
Through the form, WhatsApp or info@elbatrad.com: a sharp photo or a PDF of every page, plus the back if it has stamps. Tell us the target language and the authority in Barcelona where you will submit it.
Photo or PDFCheck the price and date
We send you the fixed price and the delivery date in writing. The quote is free and you are under no obligation to accept it.
FreeAccept the quote
Once you give us the go-ahead, the sworn translator for your language starts on your document. You pay the quoted amount, with no surprises.
No surprisesReceive the signed translation
As an electronically signed PDF for online submission and, if your procedure requires it, on paper by courier to any address in Barcelona.
PDF and paper
Foreign document? Apostille first, translation second. The Hague apostille is added by the country that issued the original, and the sworn translation then covers it in full. Many public documents from other EU countries, such as Italy or France, are exempt under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191. You will find all the details in our guide to the Hague apostille.
Documents most often translated for procedures in Barcelona
Each document has its own page explaining what to check before you order. Cannot find yours? Send it to us and we will confirm whether we can translate it.
- Degrees and academic transcriptsUniversity, employment and public exams
- Criminal record certificateImmigration, nationality and employment
- Marriage certificateCivil Registry and family reunification
- Company documentsSubsidiaries, tenders and foreign trade
- Power of attorneyNotaries, banks and property sales
- Lease agreementRentals involving foreign parties
- DNI and NIESpanish ID used in procedures abroad
- Medical certificateVisas, insurance and treatment
Three mistakes that delay a sworn translation in Barcelona
These are the ones we see most often in documents from Barcelona and its province. Avoiding them shortens delivery and saves you a second translation.
Translating an EU document that could have used a multilingual form
Some public documents from the European Union, such as birth or marriage certificates, can be issued with a standard multilingual form that may make a translation unnecessary under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191.
How to avoid it: Ask the issuing country whether it can provide that form, or check with us before ordering the translation.
Translating into the wrong language
Translating into Catalan when the procedure accepts Spanish, or the other way round, means repeating the translation and paying for it twice.
How to avoid it: Confirm with the authority which language it accepts and tell us when you request the quote.
Cropped photos or missing pages
A sworn translation certifies the complete document, including its stamps and annotations. If an edge or the back is missing, we have to ask you for it again.
How to avoid it: Send every page without cropping the margins, and the back as well if it carries stamps, signatures or notes.
Sworn translators in Barcelona: how to check they are official
Every translation is signed by a sworn translator-interpreter appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation for that language. The translator does not need to be based in Barcelona: their signature and stamp carry the same official value in every province of Spain.
You can verify the appointment in the Ministry’s official search tool for sworn translators and interpreters (in Spanish). Without that signature, a document is only a standard translation: it has no official value and the authority may reject it.
A genuine sworn translation always includes
Sworn translation in 39 languages
We also translate between Spanish and the following languages: Arabic, Belarusian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian and Urdu.
Sworn translation in Barcelona, with no appointments or travel
We have no office open to the public in Barcelona, and you do not need one: the whole service is remote and the sworn translation has exactly the same official validity. If you would rather talk in person, our offices are in Malaga, Seville and Adeje (Tenerife).
How we work with clients in Barcelona
You send the document through the form, WhatsApp or email, receive a fixed price and, as soon as you accept it, the sworn translator for your language gets to work. The translation reaches you as an electronically signed PDF and, if required, on paper at your address in Barcelona.
Customer service
- Monday to Friday 8:00 – 19:00
By phone, WhatsApp and email (Spanish time), for clients in Barcelona and the rest of Spain.
Frequently asked questions about sworn translation in Barcelona
Is a MAEC sworn translation valid in Barcelona?
Yes. It is officially valid throughout Spain, including Catalonia, and Catalan authorities accept it. There are also sworn translators appointed by the Generalitat for Catalan, and we work with that language too.
Do you have an office in Barcelona?
No. In Barcelona we work remotely and the translation has exactly the same official validity. Our physical offices are in Adeje (Tenerife), Seville and Malaga.
I am a foreign student or professional in Barcelona. Which documents will I usually need to translate?
Usually your degrees and academic transcripts for the university or for degree recognition, and your birth and criminal record certificates for the Immigration Office. We produce the sworn translation; you apply for degree recognition yourself with the Ministry.
My document is Italian or French. Does it need an apostille?
Many public documents from EU countries are exempt from the apostille under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, and some can be accompanied by a multilingual form that makes a translation unnecessary. Check with us before ordering anything.
I need to submit a document written in Catalan abroad. Can you translate it?
Yes, we provide sworn translations from Catalan. If the document is Spanish and is going to another Hague Convention country, we can also arrange the apostille.
Can I submit the translation online?
For most online procedures you can attach the electronically signed PDF exactly as we deliver it. If the authority requires paper, we send it to you by courier.
When will I receive my translation?
Usually within one to three weeks, depending on the language, the translator’s availability and whether an apostille is involved. Before we start, we confirm the delivery date and the fixed price in writing.
Sworn translators elsewhere in Spain
We work remotely with clients in every province. These are some of the cities we cover most often; you will find the full list on our home page.