Spanish Sworn Translations (Traducción Jurada) for Spain, Mexico, and Latin America

When a certified translation isn’t enough

If you’re doing something official in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, or a handful of other countries, there’s a good chance the office on the other end won’t take an ordinary certified translation. They want a sworn translation. In Spain it’s a traducción jurada. In Mexico it’s a traducción peritada. Same idea: the translation has to be done by a translator that country’s own government appointed and registered.

I arrange those from Boise. Here’s how they’re different and when you need one.

Certified, notarized, or sworn? Three different things.

I get asked for an “official translation” every week, and the person asking usually doesn’t know which of these three their office means. Recommending the wrong one costs you the fee and the wait.

• Certified translation. A qualified translator signs a statement of accuracy. Used inside the United States: USCIS, Idaho courts, universities. That’s my main translation service.
• Notarized translation. A certified translation where the translator signs that statement in front of a notary. Some state agencies and some consulates want the extra identity check. I’m the notary, so it’s one step, not a second vendor.
• Sworn translation. Done only by a translator appointed by the destination country’s government. Their seal is registered with that government, so the translation is legally valid there on its own. It doesn’t need notarizing. It doesn’t need an apostille.

That last part is the money-saver. If your document is headed abroad and the country wants a sworn translation, you skip the notary fee and the apostille fee on the translation. (Your original Idaho document may still need its own apostille. More on that below.)

The only office that knows for certain which one you need is the one receiving the document. When in doubt, get it from them in writing and send me the email. I’ll read it with you.

Where sworn translations are required

Countries I arrange sworn translations for, through translators located in the destination country:

• Spain (traductor jurado accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Mexico
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Honduras
• Argentina (digital delivery only)
• Brazil (Portuguese)
• France
• Poland
• Czech Republic
• United Arab Emirates

If your country isn’t listed, ask. Requirements change and the list grows.

When you’ll need one

• A Spanish visa. Non-lucrative, digital nomad, student, or work visa: the consulate typically wants sworn translations of your FBI background check, birth certificate, marriage certificate, bank letters, and medical certificate.
• Getting married in Spain or Mexico. Sworn translations of your birth certificate, proof of single status, and any divorce decree.
• Buying or selling property abroad. Deeds, contracts, and powers of attorney.
• Citizenship or residency filings in Spain or a Latin American country.
• Court cases and business filings in any of the countries above.
• Enrolling in a university abroad. Transcripts and diplomas.

The part everyone misses: the apostille still applies to the original

A sworn translation needs no apostille of its own. But the Idaho birth certificate, the FBI background check, or the Idaho marriage certificate underneath it usually still does.

So a typical Spain visa package from Boise looks like this:

1. Your Idaho document gets an Idaho Secretary of State apostille. FBI background checks get a federal apostille instead.
2. The apostilled document gets a sworn translation into Spanish, apostille and all.
3. Nothing else. No notary on the translation. No second apostille.

I do steps one and two. That’s the whole reason to use a notary who also runs translations: the sequence gets done in the right order, once.

How it works

1. Send me the document and tell me the country and what it’s for. Text photos to (208) 826-1210 or use the quote form. If it still needs an apostille, tell me that too, because the apostille has to go on first.
2. I quote it by country before you pay. Sworn translation rates vary by destination, so you’ll know the price for your country before anything starts. No surprises.
3. The sworn translator does the work in the destination country and it comes back with their official seal and signature. Standard turnaround is usually about a week including the apostille step; rush is available.

Questions people ask me about sworn translations