Legalizing Saudi documents
Official documents issued by the Saudi authorities must be legalized through diplomatic channels in order to be valid in Spain as Saudi Arabia has not signed the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents issued by the authorities of the signing countries.
Requirements for legalizing Saudi documents
The Embassy of Spain in Riyadh can only legalize original documents meeting the following requirements:
• Documents must have been issued by Saudi Arabia official authorities maximum one year ago not affecting documents that by their nature are only issued once (Degree, Diploma, etc) and in good conditions.
• Documents must have been legalized by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs through diplomatic channels.
Procedures to legalize Saudi documents
Legalization should preferably be carried out in person. Nevertheless it can be carried out via courier.
Submitting documents in person
The applicant can submit the document/s in person at the Embassy of Spain in Riyadh any working day (Sunday to Thursday) from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Appointment is not needed. The applicant must bring the document/s to be legalized and the corresponding fee. Legalized documents can usually be collected the next working day after submission of document/s.
Exceptionally, the applicant could carry out the procedure through a duly authorized representative. To do this, the representative must submit on top of all the required documents, an explicit authorization signed by the applicant and, in all case, copy of the applicant’s DNI/Iqama/Passport.
Via courier
The applicant must send an envelope to the Consular Section of the Embassy of Spain in Riyadh (Embassy of Spain. Consular Section. Diplomatic Quarter, P.O. Box 94347, Riyadh – 11693) with the documents listed below:
3. Original document/s to be legalized
4. Corresponding Fee – Total cost considering the number of documents and legalizations requested.
See fee.
5. Shipping costs of legalized documents via courier have to be paid upon delivery. Please note that the Embassy cannot send outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Applications not meeting all the requirements won’t be accepted/processed. The Consular Section will contact the applicant via e-mail, when known. Otherwise, application will be shelved.
Documents legalized by the Embassy of Spain in Riyadh, therefore bearing a transparent security label, will be valid in Spain and won’t require any other formality.
If translation into Spanish is required, the applicant should turn to a sworn translator or interpreter certified by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. Translations carried out by Spanish sworn translators or interpreters are valid in Spain and legalization is not required.
You can find more information about legalizations
here.
Certified copies of Saudi and Spanish documents
When a certified copy of Saudi and Spanish documents is required, submission of documents at the Embassy of Spain in Riyadh must be in person.
For certified copies, the applicant has to come to the Embassy of Spain in Riyadh any working day (Sunday to Thursday) from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Appointment is not needed. The applicant must bring the original document/s of which certified copies are required, and the corresponding fee.
Certified copies can usually be collected the next working day after submission of documents.