Spanish birth certificate from the United States
The full birth certificate is the document everything else rests on: passport, nationality, marriage, conservation. And it is free.
Where you request it depends on where the birth is registered, which is not the same as where you were born.
If the birth is registered at that consulate
You request it by mail, by email or in person, with no appointment. You need the signed request form, a copy of your DNI or passport and, if known, the volume and page of the entry. For return by mail, enclose a stamped envelope with your address.
If it is registered at another consulate or in Spain
Ask the office holding the entry, following its procedure. Entries in Spain are requested online or by mail from the relevant Civil Registry through the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes; they can also be channelled through the consulate.
And there is a newer route that saves time: anyone with an individual record under the new Civil Registry model can request it online with a digital certificate.
The types, which are not interchangeable
The full (literal) certificate is an exact copy of the entry, with every detail and marginal note. It is the one required for nationality and for a passport.
The full certificate for a first DNI or first passport is issued for that purpose alone, and some procedures ask specifically for it.
The extract is a summary valid as at the date of issue. The international or multilingual version is an extract valid in the countries of the 1976 Vienna Convention, and it saves you a translation.
The negative certificate proves a birth is not registered, and sometimes that is exactly what is needed.
Who can request one
The person concerned, for their own data. To request someone else's you must prove your identity and a legitimate interest, or bring the registered person's authorization and both identity documents. Specially protected data is not disclosed except in the cases the law provides for.
The full certificate for a first DNI or passport is a different type: ask for it by name.Details verified on 8 September 2026.
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