Sworn translator in Tenerife
We have a sworn translation office in Adeje, at Calle Hermano Pedro 7, and serve the rest of the island remotely, from Santa Cruz and La Laguna to Los Cristianos or Puerto de la Cruz. Translations are signed by a sworn translator-interpreter appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) and are officially valid throughout Spain. Before we start, we confirm the price and delivery date in writing.
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- Translators appointed by the MAEC
- Official validity throughout Spain
- PDF with e-signature and paper copy
- Delivery date in writing
Our office in Adeje and how we work with the whole island
ElbaTrad has one of its three offices in Spain in Adeje, at Calle Hermano Pedro 7, unit 2. We serve clients all over Tenerife, although most of them never need to visit. They send us the document scanned or photographed via the form, WhatsApp or email, and we reply with a fixed, free quote. Once they confirm and pay, they receive the translation as a PDF bearing the electronic signature of a sworn translator-interpreter appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEC). If the authority asks for paper, they can collect it at the office or we send it by courier. The minimum order is €50 and the usual turnaround is one to three weeks, depending on the language; the exact date is confirmed in writing before we start.
ElbaTrad · Adeje (Tenerife)
C/ Hermano Pedro 7, local 238670 Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Please let us know by phone or WhatsApp before you come. At the office you can hand us the originals of Spanish documents that need an apostille.
Customer service
- Monday to Friday 8:00 – 19:00
By phone, WhatsApp and email, for clients all over the island.
Which part of Tenerife are you writing from?
The service is the same across the island; what changes is where you will complete your procedure.
South
Adeje · Arona (Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas) · Granadilla de Abona · Guía de IsoraThis is where our office is: you can bring us the originals or collect the paper translation here. For the Civil Registry and the courts, the south has judicial districts in Arona and Granadilla de Abona.
Santa Cruz and La Laguna
Santa Cruz de Tenerife · San Cristóbal de La Laguna · El Rosario · TeguesteThis is where you will find the Government Sub-Delegation, the Civil Registry of the capital, the Provincial Traffic Office and the University of La Laguna (ULL). For online procedures, the PDF with electronic signature is all you need.
North
Puerto de la Cruz · La Orotava · Los Realejos · Icod de los Vinos · GarachicoProvincial procedures are handled in Santa Cruz or La Laguna, while Civil Registry and court matters go to northern judicial districts such as La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz or Icod de los Vinos.
Where are sworn translations submitted in Tenerife?
These are the authorities on the island that receive the most sworn translations. Check each one’s requirements on its website before you order.
Oficina de Extranjería (immigration office) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Part of the Government Sub-Delegation in Santa Cruz de Tenerife: residence and work permits, arraigo (residence based on ties to Spain) and family reunification. The TIE, the foreigner’s identity card, is issued by the National Police.
Registro Civil (Civil Registry) of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
It registers births and marriages that took place outside Spain and handles civil marriage applications. Outside the capital, your case is usually dealt with by the Civil Registry office of your judicial district.
Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico (Provincial Traffic Office) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Outside the EU and the EEA, only licences from countries with an exchange agreement can be exchanged: the DGT list (in Spanish) includes Morocco and the United Kingdom, but not India or Russia. We translate the licence; the exchange is handled by you or your gestoría.
University of La Laguna (ULL)
For a master’s degree with a foreign qualification, the ULL asks for an official translation of anything not in English, French, Portuguese or Italian, plus an apostille or legalisation (ULL requirements, in Spanish).
Courts (Tribunales de Instancia) and notaries on the island
Property sales, powers of attorney and inheritances involving foreign owners or heirs, and lawsuits with documents from other countries. Each judicial district on the island has its own Tribunal de Instancia (first-instance court): Santa Cruz, La Laguna, Arona, Granadilla de Abona, Güímar, La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz and Icod de los Vinos.
Official sources (October 2026, in Spanish): Royal Decree 712/2009, Ministry of Justice judicial map, DGT and ULL.
The languages we translate most in Tenerife
On 1 January 2023, 131,587 people of foreign nationality lived in Tenerife, 14.12% of the population. The largest groups were Italian (25,962), British (14,709) and German (9,445): these are figures from ISTAC, the Canary Islands statistics institute, quoted by Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council (in Spanish). In Adeje we also handle procedures with documents from India, Morocco and Russia.
English: documents from India and the United Kingdom
Many Indian public documents are issued in English, sometimes alongside Hindi or another state language, and the apostille is added in India by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). If part of a document is only in a language we do not translate, we will tell you before sending the quote. British certificates are translated in the same way.
Arabic and French: documents from Morocco
Moroccan civil registry certificates are usually in Arabic, and some documents are also in French. We translate from both; if you have both versions, ask the authority which one it prefers. The apostille is requested in Morocco, which has applied the Hague Convention since 2016.
Russian
Birth, marriage and criminal record certificates and degrees from Russia or other countries that issue documents in Russian, with the apostille of the country of origin.
Italian: the largest foreign nationality
Civil status certificates, powers of attorney and inheritance documents. Many Italian public documents are exempt from the apostille under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, which also provides a multilingual standard form that may make a translation unnecessary.
Three common situations in Tenerife
Bringing your family over from Morocco
To be joined by your spouse or children, you will prove the relationship with Moroccan documents apostilled in Morocco and translated into Spanish.
- Marriage certificate
- Children’s birth certificates
Doing a master’s at the ULL with a Russian degree
The degree certificate and academic transcript must be apostilled and, because they are in Russian, translated into Spanish. A degree in English would not need translating for pre-registration.
- University degree certificate
- Academic transcript with subjects and grades
- Certificate confirming that the degree gives access to master’s studies in your country
Selling a flat in Adeje without travelling from the UK
Grant a power of attorney before a notary in your country, have it apostilled there and send it to us: the notary in Tenerife will work from the sworn translation. If the power of attorney is already bilingual, ask the notary first whether it needs translating.
- Power of attorney with its apostille
- Passport, if the notary asks for a translation
Common procedures on the island: what to translate and when
Applying for Spanish nationality by residence
You will be asked for your birth certificate and the criminal record certificate from your country, apostilled or legalised; order the translation once they carry the apostille. If they come from Venezuela, Cuba or Colombia, where many of the island’s foreign-born residents were born, and are entirely in Spanish, they do not need translating.
Marrying a foreign national in Tenerife
You can complete the preliminary marriage file at the Civil Registry where you live or before a notary. The foreign partner will be asked for, among other documents, a birth certificate, a certificate of civil status and, if previously married, the divorce judgment, all apostilled or legalised and translated if they are not in Spanish.
Using a document issued in Tenerife outside Spain
To study, work or claim a pension in another country, a Spanish document usually needs an apostille and a translation. We arrange the apostille for Spanish documents (a ULL degree, a certificate of registration (empadronamiento), a Spanish tax return) and deliver the translation with it.
Who signs your sworn translation and how can you check?
Behind every translation is a sworn translator-interpreter appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, who certifies with their signature and stamp that it is faithful to the original. That is why it is official before any Spanish authority, including those in the Canary Islands.
Using the name on the stamp, you can check the appointment in the MAEC’s official search tool for sworn translators and interpreters (in Spanish).
A genuine sworn translation always includes
Sworn translation in 39 languages from Tenerife
We also translate to and from Spanish in the following languages: Italian, German, Arabic, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Chinese, Portuguese, Belarusian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Galician, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Japanese, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Swedish, Turkish and Urdu.
Frequently asked questions about sworn translation in Tenerife
Where is your sworn translation office in Tenerife?
In Adeje, at Calle Hermano Pedro 7, unit 2 (38670). Please let us know by phone or WhatsApp before you come, so that we can confirm someone will be available to see you.
I live in Santa Cruz or La Laguna. Do I have to go to Adeje?
No. Just send us a photo or scan of the document: the translation reaches you as a PDF with electronic signature or, if you need it on paper, by courier. We only need the original if it is a Spanish document and we are arranging its apostille.
Do you translate documents from India, Morocco or Russia?
Yes. Indian documents are usually in English and Moroccan ones in Arabic or French, and we also translate from Russian, always with a sworn translator appointed by the MAEC.
Do you also provide interpreting in Tenerife?
As well as sworn translation, we offer an interpreting service. Tell us what it is for, the language, the date and the place, and we will confirm availability.
Do I need to apostille my document before it is translated?
If it is a foreign document and the issuing country applies the Hague Convention, usually yes: it is apostilled in the country of origin and the translation includes the apostille. Some EU public documents are exempt under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191. If the document is Spanish and you will use it abroad, we arrange the apostille for you.
Is a sworn translation in PDF format valid?
Yes. The sworn translator’s electronic signature gives it the same official status, and most authorities accept the PDF, including through their online portals. If yours requires paper, you can collect it at our office in Adeje or we send it to you by courier.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
It depends on the language, the length, the urgency and whether an apostille has to be arranged. You get a fixed, free quote, with a minimum order of €50; the usual turnaround is one to three weeks, with the date confirmed in writing.
Sworn translator on the other Canary Islands
We serve the rest of the archipelago in the same way, remotely: