Spanish Criminal Record Certificate on Mallorca - How and Where to Get It

What is the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales?

The "Certificado de Antecedentes Penales" is the official Spanish criminal record certificate. It is issued by the Ministerio de Justicia (Ministry of Justice) and shows whether you have any criminal convictions recorded in the Spanish Registro Central de Penados (the central criminal record registry).

If you have no convictions in Spain, the certificate comes back blank - showing no entries. That is exactly what most authorities want to see: proof that you have a clean Spanish record.

This certificate is different from your home-country criminal record certificate. The Spanish certificate only covers convictions in Spanish courts. You will very often need both: a Spanish certificate (proving you are clean in Spain) and a home-country certificate (proving you were clean before you arrived). See the section at the end of this guide on home-country certificates.

When do you need it?

The Certificado de Antecedentes Penales is required in a surprisingly wide range of situations:

Visa and residency applications:

• Non-Lucrative Visa (Visado de Residencia No Lucrativa): required at the initial application. You need your home-country certificate for the initial application; you need the Spanish one for renewals if you have been living in Spain.
• Digital Nomad Visa (Visa para Nomadas Digitales): both your home-country certificate and the Spanish certificate may be required.
• Work permit applications and renewals.
• Long-term residency status (residencia de larga duracion) after five years.
• Spanish nationality applications.

Employment:

• Childcare and education roles: if you work or volunteer with minors in Spain, employers must verify that you do not have convictions for sexual offences against minors. This is specifically checked via the "Registro Central de Delincuentes Sexuales y Trata de Seres Humanos," a separate registry that can be checked at the same time through the Ministerio de Justicia. Many employers in schools, nurseries, and children's services request the combined certificate.
• Security sector jobs: private security employment in Spain requires a clean Spanish criminal record.
• Civil service positions.
• Some financial sector roles.

Professional licensing:

• Certain regulated professions require a clean criminal record as part of the licensing or registration process with the relevant colegio profesional (professional association).

Other situations:

• Adoption procedures (both domestic Spanish adoption and international).
• Obtaining some Spanish licences (firearms, for example).
• Some landlord or tenant checks in the private rental market (not legally required, but sometimes requested).

Getting it online - the fastest route

If you have a "Certificado Digital" (a digital certificate issued to individuals by the FNMT - Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre) or access to the "Cl@ve" system (the Spanish government's digital identity platform), you can get your Spanish criminal record certificate instantly online.

Step 1: Pay the fee

Before applying, you need to pay the official tax (tasa 790, codigo 006). The current fee is approximately 3.86 EUR. You can pay this online via the Agencia Tributaria (Spain's tax authority) website, or at certain banks. You need to save the payment confirmation (resguardo de pago) as you will need the reference number when you apply.

The fee is set by the Spanish government and does not change frequently, but verify the current amount at the Ministerio de Justicia website before paying.

Step 2: Apply at the Ministerio de Justicia electronic office

Go to the online application at sede.mjusticia.gob.es and select the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales. Log in using your Certificado Digital or Cl@ve account. Enter your tax payment reference. Submit the application.

Step 3: Download your certificate

If you are applying for your own record and authenticate with a valid digital identity, the certificate is generated immediately and you can download it as a PDF. It carries an electronic signature from the Ministerio de Justicia, which is legally equivalent to a stamp and signature on a paper document.

Getting a Certificado Digital: If you do not already have one, getting a Certificado Digital requires a separate process: you register online at the FNMT website, then visit a registration authority in person (typically the Agencia Tributaria, some Ayuntamientos, or Social Security offices) to verify your identity, and then download the certificate onto your browser. This takes a few days and requires a valid NIE or TIE. Many expats find it worth getting one, as it unlocks a wide range of Spanish government online services.

Cl@ve: Cl@ve is Spain's digital identity system for citizens and residents. Registration requires your NIE/TIE and a Spanish phone number or address. Once registered, you can use Cl@ve PIN (for one-time operations) or Cl@ve Permanente (for ongoing access). Both work for the criminal record certificate application.

Getting it in person in Palma

If you do not have a Certificado Digital or Cl@ve, or prefer a paper certificate with a physical stamp, you can apply in person at the Palma office of the Ministerio de Justicia.

The office:

The "Gerencia Territorial del Ministerio de Justicia en las Illes Balears" handles in-person requests in Palma. Check the current address and opening hours at the Ministerio de Justicia website before going, as offices occasionally move.

What to bring:

• Your passport (or TIE - Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, the residence card for non-EU foreigners, or EU citizens' NIE certificate).
• The paid Tasa 006 receipt (you can pay at the office or at a bank beforehand - confirm which method the office currently accepts).
• If you are collecting for someone else: a signed written authorisation (autorizacion) from them, plus a copy of their ID document.

Processing time:

In person, the certificate is typically issued on the spot or within a short wait. However, if there is a queue or a specific administrative step needed, it can take longer. Some offices issue it while you wait; others ask you to return the same day.

Booking a cita previa (appointment):

Some Ministerio de Justicia offices require an appointment booked through the cita previa system. Check whether the Palma office currently requires this before you turn up. You can often book at sede.mjusticia.gob.es or by phone.

Getting it by post

You can also apply for the certificate by post, sending your application to the Registro Central de Penados in Madrid. This is the slowest method and generally not recommended unless the other options are genuinely not available to you.

What to send:

• The completed application form (available at sede.mjusticia.gob.es).
• A photocopy of your identity document (passport or TIE).
• The paid Tasa 006 receipt.
• A prepaid return envelope with your return address.

Processing time by post can be 2 to 4 weeks or longer. This method is rarely used by expats on Mallorca since the in-person and online options are both faster and more practical.

Using a Gestoria: A Gestoria (an administrative services firm that specialises in Spanish bureaucracy) can handle the entire process on your behalf for a fee. This is useful if you are time-pressed, not yet resident in Mallorca, or simply unfamiliar with the Spanish admin system. A standard Gestoria fee for obtaining a criminal record certificate runs from about 80 to 200 EUR. They handle the fee payment, the application, and the collection or download.

Costs and how to pay

The official government fee for the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales is the Tasa 790, codigo 006. The current amount is approximately 3.86 EUR. This is the fee for the certificate itself; additional costs for apostilles, translations, or Gestoria services are separate.

How to pay the Tasa 006:

• Online via the Agencia Tributaria website (agenciatributaria.gob.es) - the most common method for online applications.
• At a Spanish bank that participates in the Tasa 006 payment system - take the printed form to the bank counter or use the bank's online payment portal.
• At an ATM that accepts tax payments (some Spanish banks offer this).

After payment, save the reference number and the payment confirmation document. You need this for your application.

Apostille and sworn translation

If you need the Spanish criminal record certificate for use outside Spain - for example, to present to authorities in your home country or another country - you will typically need:

Apostille: An apostille authenticates the official signature and stamp on the document. For Spanish documents, apostilles are issued by the Ministerio de Justicia itself (not a separate authority). You can request the apostille at the same time as the certificate, or separately. The cost varies but is typically 30 to 100 EUR depending on the office and the urgency.

For the electronic PDF version of the certificate: the electronic signature already confirms its authenticity in countries that recognise electronic public documents. However, some countries still want a paper apostille. Check with the authority requesting the document what they specifically need.

Sworn translation (traduccion jurada): If you need to present the Spanish certificate to foreign authorities who do not work in Spanish, you need a sworn translation into the target language. In the UK, US, Ireland, Canada, and Australia, this means an English translation by an accredited translator in Spain (for the Spanish-to-English direction) or by an accredited translator in the receiving country.

Sworn translators accredited by the Spanish Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores can produce officially recognised Spanish-to-English translations. The Ministerio maintains an official list on its website.

How long is it valid?

The Certificado de Antecedentes Penales itself does not have a fixed legal expiry date - it is a snapshot of your record at the moment it was issued. However, most authorities specify how old a certificate they will accept:

• Most Spanish immigration authorities (for visa and residency applications) accept a certificate that is no more than 3 months old at the time of submission.
• Employers and professional licensing bodies often have the same 3-month limit.
• Some authorities are stricter and require a certificate no more than 1 to 2 months old.

Always check the specific requirement of the authority you are submitting it to. If you request the certificate too early, it may be out of date by the time your application is reviewed.

Your home-country clean record certificate

For initial residency or visa applications in Spain, the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales only covers your Spanish record. Most Spanish immigration authorities also require a criminal record certificate from your home country (or every country where you have been resident in the past 5 years, depending on the visa type).

This is a separate document that you obtain from your home country's authority. Here are the main routes by nationality:

United Kingdom:

The "ACRO Police Certificate" (also called an international certificate for use abroad) is issued by the ACRO Criminal Records Office. You apply online at acro.police.uk. The certificate covers England, Wales, and Scotland. There is a separate system for Northern Ireland (AccessNI). It needs to be apostilled by the FCDO for use in Spain, and sworn-translated into Spanish. Current fee: approximately GBP 55 per certificate. Processing time: 10 working days standard, or a faster-track service is available.

United States:

The FBI Identity History Summary Check (also called an "Identity History Summary" or colloquially a "federal background check") is the standard document for use in foreign visa applications. You apply through the FBI's website (fbi.gov/identity-history-summary-checks) or through an FBI-approved channeler for faster processing. The certificate covers federal (FBI) records only. State-level convictions may not appear; some US consulates and immigration lawyers advise getting both an FBI check and a state-level background check for the states where you have lived. Processing time: 10 to 12 weeks direct through FBI, or faster through a channeler (typically 2 to 3 days). The certificate needs to be apostilled by the US Department of State and sworn-translated into Spanish.

Ireland:

The "Garda National Vetting Bureau" handles criminal record checks in Ireland, but international police certificates for use abroad are processed through the Garda Central Vetting Unit. You apply by post or through a registered organisation. The certificate needs to be apostilled by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and sworn-translated into Spanish. Processing time: 4 to 8 weeks, sometimes longer. Check the current process at garda.ie.

Canada:

The "RCMP Criminal Record Check" (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) covers federal criminal records. You apply online via the RCMP website (rcmp-grc.gc.ca). The certificate is then apostilled by Global Affairs Canada. Note that the RCMP check only covers federal records; provincial records may be held separately. Processing time: several weeks. Sworn translation into Spanish is required for Spanish immigration.

Australia:

The "Australian Federal Police National Police Check" (AFP check) is the standard certificate for use abroad. You apply through the AFP website (afpnationalpolicechecks.converga.com.au). Results are delivered electronically within a few days in most cases. The certificate needs to be apostilled through DFAT and sworn-translated into Spanish. Some Australian state police forces also issue state-level certificates; check whether the Spanish authority requires the federal check, a state check, or both.

For the most current procedures and fees for home-country certificates, always check the official issuing authority's website directly. Procedures change and the information here is a general orientation, not a guarantee of current requirements.

If you are unsure which certificates you need for your specific visa or residency application, a Gestoria with experience in expat residency applications on Mallorca can advise you on the complete document list and help you avoid submitting an incomplete application.