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Request the Spanish criminal record certificate online at the Ministry of Justice e-office with Cl@ve or a digital certificate, or in person with an appointment. It costs 3,86 euros and online it is usually ready at once. See the steps and common problems.
How to get a Spanish criminal record certificate
| Route | What you need | How long it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Online, on the Justice Ministry sede electrónica (e-office) | Cl@ve, a digital certificate or DNIe | Usually straight away or within 24 hours |
| In person, with an appointment at a Gerencia Territorial (regional Justice office) or, in Madrid, at the Central Office in calle Bolsa, 8 | Valid ID, form 790 and the fee paid | Usually on the spot; sometimes up to 3 working days |
| By post, to a Gerencia Territorial | Certified copy of your ID, form 790, fee paid and consent to send it back | Usually within 3 working days of arrival |
| Through someone else | Their ID, yours and an authorisation signed before a notary or civil servant | Same as in person or by post |
If you are a national of another EU country, Justice also checks your home country's records and the maximum time is 30 calendar days.
Apply online in 3 steps
- Log in to the e-office.
Open the Ministry of Justice e-office, click "Tramitación On-line con CL@VE" and identify yourself with Cl@ve, a digital certificate or DNIe. If it fails, see how to fix Cl@ve and digital certificate errors.
- Fill in the form and pay. Enter your phone number and email and choose what you need it for. If it is for another country, tick the apostille. Pay the fee by card or bank account.
- Download the certificate. Save the receipt: it has your application number. If the certificate is not ready straight away, download it with that number from the next day. If you leave your email, you get a notice when it is ready.
How much it costs
It costs 3,86 euros. This is the tasa modelo 790 código 006 (form 790, code 006 fee), at the amount the Ministry of Justice publishes since 1 January 2022. Pay the exact amount. Checking your record in the Carpeta Ciudadana (the government's online citizen folder) with a digital certificate is free, but that check is not the official certificate for a procedure.
Validity and apostille for use abroad
The certificado de antecedentes penales (criminal record certificate) has no expiry date of its own: it shows your record on the day it is issued. How long it is valid is decided by the authority that asks for it. For Spanish citizenship by residence, a certificate with no stated validity is valid for six months from issue, under Order JUS/1625/2016.
To use it outside Spain, tick the apostilla (apostille) or legalisation in the same application. If it is for another EU country, a clean certificate is exempt from the apostille since 16 February 2019.
For immigration procedures and working with children
For arraigo you usually bring the certificate from the country or countries where you lived in the five years before arriving, legalised or apostilled and translated. The immigration office checks the Spanish register itself, also for other permits. For family reunification or a work visa, check the document list for your procedure. For citizenship by residence, the Ministry checks your Spanish record if you authorise it.
To work with children you need a different, free document: the certificado de delitos de naturaleza sexual (sex offences certificate).
Do you need a lawyer or gestor for the certificate?
No. You apply for the Spanish certificate yourself, online or with an appointment, and only pay the 3,86 euro fee. A professional is only worth it if you must legalise or apostille and translate a foreign certificate for arraigo or citizenship, or want a record cancelled and are unsure of the waiting periods. You can also ask the Ministry of Justice yourself.
Common problems and how to fix them
The online certificate does not appear
If it is not ready straight away, you normally get it within 24 hours and usually no later than 3 working days; the legal limit is 10 working days. If you are from another EU country, it can take up to 30 calendar days.
I cannot log in with Cl@ve
Try a digital certificate or DNIe, or book an appointment to apply in person. If the error persists, see what to do when Cl@ve does not work.
I paid the wrong amount
The bank cannot refund a payment with the wrong amount. According to the Ministry of Justice, you must claim it back through a refund of undue payments.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone else apply for me without a notarised power of attorney?
They need an authorisation signed before a notary or a civil servant, plus their ID and yours. A simple signed note is not among the authorisations Justice accepts.
Is a screenshot from the Carpeta Ciudadana enough for a procedure?
No, that check is not the official certificate. If the procedure is with a public authority, you can often authorise it to check your record instead of applying for the certificate.
What does the certificate say if I have no criminal record?
It states that no criminal record appears in the Central Register of Convicted Persons on the date of issue. This is known as a clean, or negative, certificate.
Do I need to translate it to use it outside Spain?
It depends on the country and the authority asking for it: ask them whether they accept it in Spanish. The apostille, on the other hand, you tick in the application itself.
Official procedure
Official sources
These are the official sources for this guide:
- Sede del Ministerio de Justicia: certificado de antecedentes penales sede.mjusticia.gob.es
- Ministerio de Justicia: certificado de antecedentes penales www.mjusticia.gob.es
- Ministerio de Justicia: avisos del Centro de Atención al Ciudadano (tasas) www.mjusticia.gob.es
- Ministerio de Justicia: certificado de delitos de naturaleza sexual www.mjusticia.gob.es
- Ministerio de Justicia: cita previa www.mjusticia.gob.es
- Carpeta Ciudadana sede.administracion.gob.es
- Orden JUS/1625/2016, tramitación de la nacionalidad por residencia (BOE) www.boe.es
- Reglamento de Extranjería (RD 1155/2024, BOE) www.boe.es
These links go to official websites. Booking an appointment and downloading official forms is free; if the procedure has an official fee, it is paid only to the authorities.
Spotted something incorrect? Email us at info@ayudatramites.es.
