Criminal record certificate: the Spanish one and the FBI one

There are two different certificates here, and mixing them up costs weeks. The Spanish one is issued by the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes and costs €3.86. The FBI one is American, and it is the one Spanish residence visas require.

The Spanish certificate

The fastest route is online, with a digital certificate, on the Ministry's electronic office. It can also be requested by mail or in person in Spain.

Through the consulate you apply by appointment, attending in person, with your original DNI or passport and form 790-006 completed and signed. You must already be on the consular register.

The fee is paid through online banking, at a collaborating bank with a branch in your country, or by transfer from an account held outside Spain to the Ministry of Justice's restricted account, IBAN ES62 0182 2370 4202 0800 0060, for exactly €3.86.

Watch this one: pay the wrong amount and the bank does not refund it straight away — you have to open a claim for undue payment. Worth checking the figure twice.

Once issued, you get an SMS or email to download it with a secure verification code.

Through a representative in Spain

You can appoint someone in Spain to collect it. You file in person at the consulate a request with your details, theirs and the chosen Territorial Office, plus your DNI or passport. That person then attends with form 790-006 and proof of payment.

Spanish nationals in custody

A Spaniard detained abroad can authorize the consular office in writing to request it on their behalf. In that case it is processed ex officio and free of charge.

The FBI one, a separate matter

For Spanish residence visas —non-lucrative, telework, employment, studies over 180 days— what counts is the FBI Identity History Summary, apostilled by the Department of State. Local and state police checks are not accepted, and that rejection sends back more files than almost anything else.

Legalizing the Spanish one

If the Spanish certificate has to take effect abroad, it must be apostilled or legalized in Spain. The consulate does not apostille Spanish documents.

Details verified on 8 September 2026.

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