Birth certificate with apostille from Ukraine to Spain - how to get it remotely (2026)

Sooner or later, almost every Ukrainian family in Spain is faced with the need for a document from Ukraine: a child’s birth certificate for citizenship or residency, a marriage certificate, a certificate of no criminal record. And here a problem arises: the document either remained in Ukraine, or it is an old model, or it needs to be obtained anew. And traveling for it is expensive and time-consuming.

The good news is that all of this can be done remotely, without leaving Spain. I recently received a birth certificate from Ukraine online, and then had it apostille stamped. So I'll tell you how it works, based on my own experience.

When is a birth certificate with an apostille needed?

The most common situations:

• applying for Spanish citizenship (nacionalidad) - a birth certificate with an apostille is required;
• registration of marriage or pareja de hecho;
• registration of the child's documents;
• some procedures with residency and family reunification.

My case is this changing temporary protection to residence for a child under new rules in Spain.

Important: only a new certificate is suitable

This is the most common mistake. Only a new birth certificate is suitable for use in Spain. Old forms - Soviet ones and those issued before approximately 2005-2007 - are not accepted by Spanish institutions. Therefore, even if your certificate is in a drawer at home, you will most likely have to get a new copy. This is exactly what is done remotely.

Why an apostille?

Ukraine and Spain are parties to the Hague Convention, so the only form of certification of Ukrainian documents for Spain is an apostille. The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine affixes an apostille to birth certificates, marriage certificates, and other civil registry documents.

How it works remotely

Everything is solved online, step by step:

1. You contact the company and conclude a contract - remotely.
2. Send a scanned copy of one of the parents' foreign passport and the child's details (full name, date and place of birth). If you have the old certificate, a photo of it is enough. If you don't have it at all, it's not a problem, they will receive a duplicate without it.
3. The company itself receives a new certificate from the Civil Registry Office.
4. Then she submits it for apostille to the Ministry of Justice.
5. The finished document is sent via Nova Poshta to your relatives in Ukraine, who will hand it over to you, or to any address you specify - for example, to a carrier traveling to your province.

How much does it cost and how long does it take?

The cost depends on whether you have a new certificate and on the terms:

• obtaining a certificate + apostille "turnkey" - from 5000 UAH (~100 €);
• only an apostille for an existing new certificate - from 2700 UAH (~55 €);
• Urgent processing is more expensive, the time frame is reduced to a few working days.

On average, the entire process takes 2-4 weeks. For comparison: offices in Spain charge from €80 for just the apostille - so processing directly through Ukraine is noticeably more profitable.

Prices are approximate - the exact cost for your situation (region, terms, availability of documents) will be calculated for you during the first contact.

What's next: translation by a sworn translator

An apostille certificate is not everything. To submit it to Spanish institutions, it must be translated by a sworn translator (traductor jurado) accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I wrote a separate article about how to find a sworn translator of the Ukrainian language and check him in the official register. right here.