It is increasingly common to receive requests from people who are not in Spain at the time they order their sworn translation: future residents handling their visa from the United States or the United Kingdom, students waiting on their degree recognition, or Filipino, South African or Australian citizens submitting paperwork for an immigration procedure. The process is exactly the same wherever you are.
Who can order a sworn translation from outside Spain?
Anyone, of any nationality, who needs to submit a translated document to a Spanish authority, court, university or notary. There is no need to live in Spain, hold Spanish nationality, or have ever set foot in the country — the only requirement is that the document is going to be submitted to a Spanish authority.
How the fully online process works
1. Sending the document
A scanned copy or a clear photo of the original document is sent by email or WhatsApp, from anywhere in the world.
2. Quote and turnaround
A fixed quote and delivery time are confirmed, usually the same day the document is sent.
3. Payment
Payment is made by bank transfer, including international transfers (SWIFT) or through services such as Wise, with no need for a Spanish bank account.
4. Delivery
The sworn translation is delivered as an electronically signed PDF, with the same legal validity as a paper translation with a handwritten signature and stamp.
What if the authority requires a paper copy?
Some specific procedures still ask for the physical document. In that case, it can be sent by international post to the address provided, although in the vast majority of current procedures (visas, immigration, universities, registries) the signed electronic copy is fully valid and is in fact what the authorities themselves request.
Countries that most commonly request this service
The United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, the Philippines and South Africa are among the countries from which sworn English-Spanish translations are most often requested, usually for visas, nationality applications, degree recognition, or banking and immigration procedures.
It does not matter which country you are in: if the document is going to be submitted to a Spanish authority, the process is the same and the translation carries the same legal validity as if it had been ordered in person in Spain.
What about the other direction, from Spanish into English?
This is also handled from anywhere in the world. In this case, it is worth checking beforehand with the receiving authority whether it accepts a Spanish sworn translation, since acceptance outside Spain varies by country, and some authorities require their own type of certification instead.