Criminal record certificate for the Spain visa: FBI, ACRO and RCMP checks
You must usually present a criminal record certificate issued within three months of your visa appointment. This guide tells you which national check Spain wants (FBI, ACRO, RCMP), how to get it, how to apostille or legalise it, what translations you need and how long each step takes.
By Chris Reino·Editor — visas, residency and everyday life
Most Spanish consulates expect a criminal record certificate issued within 3 months of your visa appointment — always confirm with your consulate.
US applicants use an FBI Identity History Summary; UK applicants use an ACRO certificate; Canadians usually need an RCMP/RCIC national police certificate (local checks are often not enough).
You will usually need an apostille or consular legalisation plus a sworn Spanish translation (traductor jurado) before the visa appointment.
Costs and times vary: expect from a few days (fast ACRO channel) to 6–8 weeks (RCMP/mailed FBI); budget roughly €100–€350 per person including fingerprints, apostille/legalisation and translation.
One hard fact to start: timing
If your consulate asks for a criminal record certificate, it will usually require the certificate to be issued within 3 months of your visa appointment — check your consulate because some ask for 1 or 6 months.
Which certificate does Spain want?
Spain wants an official national criminal record certificate from the country where you are a citizen (or where you’ve lived long-term). For the three big source countries for retirees this means:
United States: FBI Identity History Summary (not a local police check).
United Kingdom: ACRO police certificate (sometimes called a "police certificate" or "criminal records check" from ACRO).
Canada: an RCMP (or RCIC/CPIC) national criminal record check — provincial or local police checks are often inadequate unless your consulate specifically allows them.
Consulates vary. Some accept local police checks for short-term stays; most long-stay visa teams want the national/federal document.
How to get an FBI criminal record certificate (US citizens)
The document Spain wants is the FBI Identity History Summary (commonly called an FBI background check). You have two practical routes:
Use an FBI channeler (private company that submits fingerprints electronically to the FBI). This is the fastest: some channelers deliver a certificate in 24–72 hours after fingerprints are received.
Apply directly to the FBI: submit a fingerprint card (FD‑258) by mail and wait for the Identity History Summary to arrive — slower (can be days to many weeks depending on backlog and mail).
Steps you’ll do:
Get fingerprinted. Many police stations do this; private fingerprinting services are faster. Bring a completed FD‑258 or use the channeler’s instructions.
Choose channeler vs FBI: channelers are faster but charge extra; FBI direct is cheapest for the record itself (the FBI fee is US$18 at the time of writing) but you still pay for fingerprints and postage.
Ask for a certified copy suitable for international use — the printed FBI Identity History Summary is what Spanish consulates expect.
After you have the printed certificate you’ll need an apostille from the US Department of State Authentication Office (federal documents) or the appropriate state authentication if the document is state-issued (rare for FBI reports). Then get a sworn Spanish translation.
ACRO issues police certificates for the UK. The process is mostly online and straightforward:
Apply through ACRO’s website and pay their fee. You’ll be asked for identity documents and addresses for the last 10 years (the consulate may ask for different address windows — check).
ACRO produces a stamped certificate you can download or receive by post.
If your visa requires an apostille, you get the apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office in the UK after the certificate is issued.
ACRO is the quickest of the three in many cases: standard digital certificates can arrive in days; postal delivery and apostille add time. Official ACRO pages are here: ACRO Police Certificates.
How to get a Canadian criminal record certificate (RCMP/Canadian applicants)
Canada is the fiddliest because the route depends on whether the national RCMP database covers you. Options people use:
RCMP fingerprint-based national Criminal Record Check (CPIC) issued by the RCMP — this is the federal document Spanish consulates usually prefer.
If you live in a province with an electronic channel, a provincial police service can submit fingerprints to the RCMP and get the national result.
Some consulates accept a local police check — but only if the consulate explicitly says so. Don’t assume.
Processing time for a Canadian national check is commonly 2–8 weeks (fingerprint backlog and mail). Canada is not party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so you will typically need Global Affairs Canada authentication followed by legalisation at the Spanish consulate/embassy in Canada. Check RCMP guidance: RCMP criminal record checks.
Apostille vs consular legalisation and sworn translations
Spain accepts apostilles from Hague countries and consular legalisation from others. Practical rules that will save you time:
If your country is in the Hague Apostille Convention (US and UK are), get an apostille and a sworn translation (traductor jurado) into Spanish.
If your country is NOT in the Hague system (Canada is not), the usual path is national authentication (Global Affairs Canada) and then legalisation by the Spanish embassy/consulate in Canada — again, finish with a sworn Spanish translation.
Do not send the untranslated certificate to your visa appointment: most consulates will return it or reject it if the translation is missing or not by an official sworn translator.
Order of operations matters. Get the certificate first, then apostille/legalise it, then have the apostilled/legalised certificate translated by a sworn translator. Some consulates accept translations done before apostille, but the safe sequence is certificate → apostille/legalisation → sworn translation.
Costs, how they're driven up, and realistic timeframes
There isn’t a single price. Expect the total per person from obtaining the records through apostille/legalisation and sworn translation to be roughly €100–€350, with the following drivers:
Fingerprinting: €15–€80 depending on whether you use a police station or a private service, and whether they do live-scan (digital) or ink cards.
Issuing fee: the national authority’s fee (FBI currently US$18 for the Identity History Summary as of writing; ACRO and RCMP fees vary by service speed).
Apostille/legalisation: often €10–€60 but it depends on the issuing country and whether a consulate step is required.
Sworn translation: €25–€80 per page depending on the translator and urgency.
Optional channelers/express services and courier/post costs add more.
Typical processing times and practical notes (estimates)
Country
How obtained
Typical time
Apostille/legalisation
Notes
USA (FBI)
Channeler or direct via FD‑258 fingerprint card
24 hours–8 weeks (channeler fastest; mail slowest)
US Dept of State apostille for federal documents
Channelers cost more but save weeks.
UK (ACRO)
Apply online to ACRO
24 hours–4 weeks (digital delivery often fast)
FCDO apostille
ACRO is usually the quickest and lowest-friction route.
Canada (RCMP)
Fingerprint-based RCMP national check
2–8 weeks
Global Affairs Canada authentication then Spanish consulate legalisation
Canada requires an extra legalisation step; plan more time.
Checklist: what to bring to the consulate/visa appointment
Original criminal record certificate (national/federal document).
Apostille or consular legalisation applied to that certificate.
Sworn Spanish translation (traductor jurado) of the apostilled/legalised certificate.
Copies of the certificate and the apostille/legalisation and translation (2–3 copies).
ID you used to get the certificate (passport), proof of residency if a second-country certificate is used.
Receipt or proof of submission if the authority issues the certificate later (some consulates accept a police receipt for current applicants — check first).
Common friction points and how to avoid them
People trip up in three predictable ways:
Timing: ordering a certificate too early. If it’s older than your consulate’s window they’ll usually reject it. Book your visa slot and then schedule your check so the issue date is within the permitted window.
Wrong document: submitting a local police check when the consulate requires the national/federal certificate. Ask the consulate in writing if you’re unsure.
Missing apostille/legalisation/translation: the consulate will not accept an untranslated or un‑legalised national certificate. Don’t assume a scanned English copy is enough.
If you want someone to do all of this for you, a specialist visa lawyer or document service can handle it — see whether that cost is worth it for your risk tolerance: /en/visas-legal/spain-visa-lawyers-worth-it. If you’re applying for a non-lucrative visa with a partner, remember both of you need certificates: /en/visas-legal/non-lucrative-visa-spouse-dependents.
What happens when this step is done
Once you have the apostilled/legalised criminal record certificate with a sworn Spanish translation you can include it in your visa application and attend the consulate appointment. That clears one of the major documentary hurdles: without it, long-stay visa teams often won’t accept or process your file.
It doesn’t grant residency or a visa by itself. After the consulate accepts your file you still need to satisfy the other requirements (health insurance, bank statements, medical certificate, passport photos, fees). Expect the consulate’s decision time to be separate — getting the certificate done mostly removes administrative delay at the submission stage rather than speeding the final decision by a fixed number of days.
Further reading
If you’re planning the rest of the application timeline see our non-lucrative visa timeline and the common reasons for rejection: /en/visas-legal/non-lucrative-visa-application-timeline and /en/visas-legal/non-lucrative-visa-rejection-reasons. For tax and residency consequences after you arrive take a look at the residency tax calendar: /en/finance-tax/spain-residency-tax-calendar.
FAQ
How recent does my criminal record certificate need to be?
Most consulates ask for a certificate issued within three months of your visa appointment, but some ask for one month or accept up to six months. Always check the consulate’s checklist for your city and follow their stated window — written guidance trumps anecdote when consulates differ.
Can I use a local police check instead of an FBI/ACRO/RCMP certificate?
Usually no for long-stay visas. Spanish consulates commonly require the national/federal certificate. If you’ve only lived in one town for decades some consulates will accept a local check — but only if they explicitly say so. Get confirmation in writing from the consulate before assuming a local check will do.
Do I get the apostille first or the translation first?
Get the criminal record certificate first, then the apostille/legalisation, then the sworn translation. That sequence avoids problems where the translator works on the wrong (un‑legalised) copy and the consulate rejects it.
My certificate lists a minor old offence — will that stop my visa?
Minor or historic offences don’t automatically block a visa. Spanish visa officers look at seriousness, timing and pattern. Be honest in your application, include context and legal outcomes, and if the matter is complicated consider a short letter from your solicitor or a consulate query before applying.
How long is the certificate valid for renewals once I'm in Spain?
For renewals (residencia renewals, tarjeta de residencia) rules vary by region and immigration office. Many offices want a fresh certificate with the same recent‑issue window as the original visa, while others accept a certificate issued within a longer period. Check your local extranjería guidance well before your renewal date.
Official sources to check for your country: the FBI Identity History Summary page, ACRO Police Certificates, and RCMP criminal record check guidance. If this feels like too many moving parts, book your visa appointment first then sequence fingerprinting, apostille and translation so the certificate sits squarely within the consulate’s acceptable date range.
Chris is based in Spain and has spent his working life in international tourism and residential services, on the side of it that deals with people arriving rather than people on holiday. On HolaRetire he looks after the guides on visas, residency paperwork and settling in, and checks them against what the consulates and the Spanish administration actually publish.
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