Sworn Translation of Company Incorporation Documents

Foreign companies that need to operate, register, or prove their legal existence before Spanish authorities must submit their corporate documentation as a sworn translation. This is a common request among US LLCs, companies registered in Cyprus, the UK or other jurisdictions, and law or accounting firms handling the opening of a subsidiary or branch in Spain.

Corporate documents translated most often

• Certificate of incorporation: proves the company's legal creation.
• Articles / bylaws: the company's internal operating rules.
• Commercial contracts: service agreements, shareholder agreements or other contractual documentation.

What role does the apostille play in these documents?

Most Spanish commercial registries and authorities require foreign corporate documents to carry the Hague Apostille (or, if the country of origin has not signed the convention, the corresponding consular legalisation) before submission. The apostille certifies the authenticity of the original document; the sworn translation certifies the accuracy of its content in Spanish. These are separate, complementary procedures: neither replaces the other.

The sworn translation must also include the text of the apostille itself, not just the main document, since it forms part of what is submitted to the Spanish authority.

Can only part of the document be translated?

If the registry or authority requires the full deed, it must be translated in its entirety. For lengthy documents (multi-page articles of association, for example), the quote is adjusted to the actual length once the original has been reviewed.

What if the document is in more than one language?

When a company operates in a jurisdiction with more than one official language, bilingual documents are common. The sworn translation is produced from the English version, noting that the original document also contains text in the other language.