How to find a sworn translator in Barcelona

How to find a sworn translator in Barcelona: the short answer

Search the official list, not adverts. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) keeps a single register of sworn translators, traductores-intérpretes jurados, and publishes their list with the languages each one is authorised for [1][2]. The ministry’s page has a search tool: Buscador de traductores e intérpretes jurados. You select the source language, for example Russian or Ukrainian, and get the translators for that language [1].

From there you deal with them directly. The Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas, the ministry office that issues the titles, states plainly that it does not act as an intermediary for orders [1]. You agree the price, deadline and format with the translator yourself: under article 16 of Real Decreto 724/2020, the translator sets the fee freely [2].

We do not publish lists of translators and do not recommend anyone: up-to-date information is only in the ministry’s register. What a sworn translation is and what makes up its cost is covered in the article sworn translation for Spain. This one is about practice: how to choose a translator, check them and place the order without having to redo anything.

Where to look: the official list vs advertising

Searching for “traducción jurada Barcelona” brings up agencies and translation bureaus. The words “jurada” or “oficial” in an advert do not prove that the signature will be put by a person holding the title. Compare the sources.

The city does not matter. An official translation is exempt from legalisation when it is to be used before Spanish authorities, and the rule does not tie it to a province [2]. A translator from Madrid or Valencia will do for an application in Barcelona. With an electronic signature, you may not need to meet them in person at all [3].

How to check a sworn translator before ordering

Checking takes a few minutes and rests on three provisions of Real Decreto 724/2020. Every translator is entered in a single register and gets their own number (article 13). The list with names and languages is published on the ministry’s website (article 14). The stamp on the translation contains the first name and surname, the language or languages and the number (article 18) [2].

1. Ask the translator or agency for the name and number of the person who will sign the translation.
2. Find that name in the Buscador on exteriores.gob.es [1].
3. Check that the authorised language matches the language of your document. The title is issued for a specific language, not for “all languages”.
4. When you receive the translation, compare the stamp with the details in the list: the name, language and number must match [2].

If the translator is not on the list, the translation will not be sworn, however well it is done. If the list shows no contact details, that does not mean the translator is not working: they simply have not provided them [2]. Questions about the register can be sent to the office at interpretes.jurados@maec.es, the address given on the ministry’s page [4].

Catalan: a separate register

In Barcelona you sometimes need a translation into or from Catalan. The ministry has not held exams for Catalan, Galician and Basque since 1992; the titles are issued by the communities themselves [4]. For Catalan, the register is kept by the Secretaria de Política Lingüística of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and the ministry’s page links to it [4].

Documents issued in Catalonia in Catalan usually do not need translating for state administration bodies in Catalonia: article 15 of Ley 39/2015 allows the community’s language to be used before bodies located in its territory [8]. If the document is going to a body outside Catalonia, check that body’s requirements.

How ordering works: step by step

1. List of documents. Put together the complete list according to the requirements of your procedure. The residence permit document checklist helps.
2. Apostille before translation. The whole document is translated, including the apostille. The translator cannot alter, sign or seal the original, so errors are corrected before translation by the authority that issued the document [5]. For Russia, the procedure is described in the article apostille on Russian documents.
3. Email two or three translators. The same set of documents, legible scans, the format you need and the date by which you need the translation.
4. Comparing quotes. There is no set rate [2]. Compare the billing unit, the deadline and what is included in the price.
5. Handing over documents. A copy of the original, sealed and dated on every page, is attached to the translation [2]. Check in advance whether the translator needs the original in hand.
6. Receiving and checking. Compare names, dates and numbers with your passport and the original.
7. Submission. The translation is submitted together with the original document, not instead of it.

The whole process with checklists is in the route card sworn translation step by step.

What to ask the translator before paying

Ask for answers in writing: that is your quote and your protection against disputes. These are the questions we would ask.

• Your name and number in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs register, and your authorised language.
• Price for the whole set: what counts as a unit (page, document, word), and whether stamps and the apostille are translated at the same price.
• Turnaround time. There is no official deadline for a sworn translation; the translator sets it.
• Format: paper with a stamp, an electronic PDF with a qualified signature or both, number of copies, delivery.
• What you need from me: a scan, the original, the passport page for the spelling of names.
• How a translator’s error is corrected if it is found after delivery.

If you order through an agency, add a question about who physically signs the translation. An agency has no title of its own: the title is personal [2].

Paper translation or electronic signature

Orden AUC/213/2025, in force since 8 March 2025, allows a sworn translator to certify a translation with an electronic signature. A qualified certificate for an individual is required, the signature covers the original and the translation together, and for texts the PAdES format, that is, a signed PDF, is preferred. You can check the signature on valide.redsara.es [3].

The electronic form replaces but does not rule out the paper one: a translation with a handwritten signature and stamp is also valid [3]. The practical choice depends on how you submit. For online submission through the sede, a signed PDF is more convenient. For in-person submission at extranjería or a consulate, check whether they accept an electronic file, or order paper. Do not print an electronic translation expecting the paper copy to keep the signature: the signature exists in the file itself.

Translations made abroad and consular translations

Article 17 of Real Decreto 724/2020 recognises as official not only translations by sworn translators. Translations made or accepted as their own by a Spanish embassy or consulate, and translations made in Spain by a foreign state’s consulate, are also official [2]. The Ministry of Inclusion information sheet on documents for extranjería (Hoja 61) also lists these options, with separate legalisation conditions [6].

Be more careful with a translation by a local translator in Russia, Ukraine or another country. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs allows it to be legalised: first by the foreign ministry of the country where the translation was made, then by the Spanish mission. At the same time, the ministry warns plainly that some Spanish authorities may not accept such translations [5]. For diploma homologation, the Ministry of Science accepts translations by official translators from other countries provided the translator’s signature is legalised [7]. For a residence permit, a sworn translation done in Spain is the safer option.

Names in Russian and Ukrainian documents

Problems with translations for Russian-speaking applicants most often start not with the translator but with the Latin spelling. The surname in your passport, old diploma, marriage certificate and bank letter may be spelt differently. The translator renders the text of the original, and needs your guidance on how to spell names.

• Give the translator a scan of your passport page and ask them to use that spelling.
• If your surname has changed, attach the document on the change and point it out.
• Check the finished translation against your NIE or TIE, if you already have them.

If your family uses different spellings, settle this before ordering translations: otherwise you will have to redo several documents.

Common mistakes when choosing a translator

• Choosing from a “traducción jurada” advert without checking the signatory’s name on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list.
• Hiring a translator with a similar but different authorised language.
• Searching only “in Barcelona”, although a translator from any province will do.
• Comparing only the price per page without asking whether the apostille and stamps are translated.
• Ordering the translation before the apostille and then paying for a separate translation of the stamp.
• Ordering a translation of a certificate that will have expired by the submission date. The translation has no validity period of its own, but the document does [7].

When you need an individual review

A review is needed if an authority has already returned your documents with an objection to the translation (see how to respond to a requerimiento), if your translation was done abroad and it is unclear whether it will be accepted, or if your documents come from different countries or have different spellings of names. The answer depends on the procedure and the authority.

How we can help

The ReloVictory team helps work out which documents in your set need translating and in what order to prepare the apostille and translation, and checks finished translations against the original and your passport before submission. You choose the translator yourself from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list; translations and fees are paid separately. More on the page documents and translations; you can book through the consultation form.

Frequently asked questions

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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.