A Spanish Criminal Record Certificate allows you to prove the lack of criminal records (or their existence) in the Spanish Central Registry of Sentences and is issued by the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts.
Likewise, Spanish citizens and foreign citizens who have resided in Spain may request a criminal record certificate from abroad through one of the methods detailed below:
Request the certificate through the Consular Office
The individual requesting the Criminal Record Certificate will have to attend an appointment in person at the Consular Office. The documents necessary to request the certificate are:
- Original, valid passport of the interested person.
- Form 790-006 ("Copia para la Administración": Copy for the Administration) duly completed and signed. Each time you click on the previous link, you create a new document with a new receipt number. Please do not use the same photocopied document for the different applications of several people.
- Proof of payment of the fee, which may be done through any of the following means:
- Payment through electronic banking systems: If you have an open account and electronic signature to operate in any of the financial entities collaborating with the Spanish Tax Agency, payment can be made through their electronic services. To do this, first of all, you must download form 790 and include your receipt number in the “790 Administrative Fees” section of the electronic banking system and, if the option exists, “Code 006 Administrative Fees Ministry of Justice”. The payment will be accredited in this case with the payment receipt that the electronic banking will provide to the individual, which includes the NRC (Complete Reference Number) that must be presented together with the "Copy for Administration" sheet of form 790.
- Payment through a Spanish financial entity that collaborates with the Tax Agency: You can go with the completed form 790 to a Spanish financial entity that collaborates with the Tax Agency that has a branch in the country from where the certificate is requested. The payment will be accredited with the mechanical validation or authorized signature of the financial institution on the “Copy for Administration” sheet of form 790 that must be presented.
- Payment by bank transfer: The amount of the fee may be paid by bank transfer, provided that said transfer is made from an account opened in a bank located outside the national territory (it will not be valid nor will the payment be accepted if the transfer is made from an account with an Spanish IBAN). Payment will be credited in this case through proof of payment provided by the bank. To make the transfer, the following account will be used:
ENTITY: BBVA.
ACCOUNT HOLDER: Ministerio de Justicia – Cuenta Restringida Recaudación Tasas Extranjero
TAX ID NUMBER OF THE ACCOUNT HOLDER: S-2813610-I
IBAN or International Bank Account Code: IBAN ES62 0182 2370 4202 0800 0060
BBVA Bank Identification Code (BIC): BBVAESMMXXX
PRICE OF THE RATE: €3.86 - Please double check the amount of this rate with the Consular Office before making the bank transfer. It is important to make the transfer for the correct amount. If you make a mistake, the financial institution will not be able to return the moeny immediately. The interested party will have to request reimbursement by filing an application for the return of undue income.
To file your request for a Criminal Record Certificate, you will need to make an appointment to visit in person in Consular Office (Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00). To make the appointment, please write an email to emb.canberra.sc@maec.es.
Once the certificate is issued by the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, the applicant will receive a message by SMS or email so that they can download the certificate with a Secure Verification Code (CSV), the authenticity of which may be be validated via the electronic headquarters of the aforementioned Ministry. It is recommended to check your spam or junk mail folder.
Request the certificate through a representative in Spain
The applicant may designate a representative, who must prove their identity and representation when submitting the application in Spain. To do this, the interested person must personally present the following documents at the Consular Office:
- Duly completed and signed application. It will contain both your data and that of the representative, to whom you delegate the power to request and obtain the criminal record certificate, in addition to the chosen Territorial Management. The application form will be provided by the consular office.
- DNI or original, valid passport of the interested person.
- Copy of the valid identity document of the representative who is going to collect the certificate.
- Proof of residence in ACT or Queanbeyan.
- The authorized person must prove their identity and present Form 790-006, “Copy for the Administration”, duly completed and signed, together with proof of payment of the fee. The certificate will preferably be delivered on paper, unless expressly requested to do otherwise.
Legalization or apostille of the criminal record certificate
In the application, the country in which the certificate must take effect will be indicated. The Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts will issue it apostilled or legalized, as appropriate.
Sex Crimes Record Certificate
The criminal record certificate does not qualify you to work with minors or host them in Spain. For this purpose, a certificate of crimes of a sexual nature is necessary, which is processed directly through the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts in Spain.