The documents you need to apostille depend entirely on what you're doing in Spain. Below is a full breakdown by category.

Personal documents are where most people start, and where the most mistakes happen. Spain doesn't just want to see a birth certificate; it wants one verified by an authority it's treaty-bound to trust.

1. Birth certificates: Needed for nearly every process: visas, residency applications, school enrollment, and marriage. If yours was issued in a different state than where you currently live, you go back to the issuing state, not your current one.
2. Marriage certificates: Required for family reunification, registering a US marriage in Spain, or any legal process involving spousal status.
3. Death certificates: Essential for inheritance claims and estate proceedings under Spanish law.
4. Divorce decrees: Needed to confirm legal dissolution of a prior marriage, required for remarriage in Spain or certain residency applications.
5. Adoption papers: Validate legal parentage for residency, inheritance, or school enrollment purposes.
6. Name change certificates: If your legal name changed after any other document in your package was issued, include the name change certificate. (Spanish authorities flag any spelling discrepancy, including middle names, suffixes, or hyphenation differences)
7. Certificate of No Impediment: Confirms you are legally free to marry, required by Spanish civil registries for international marriages. But it needs to be notarized first.

For anyone studying, working, or practicing a regulated profession in Spain, academic credentials must be apostilled before they carry any official weight.

1. Diplomas and degrees: Proof of formal education is required for professional licensing and university applications.
2. Academic transcripts: Detail your coursework and grades; needed for university recognition or professional credentialing.
3. Professional certificates and licenses: Required for regulated fields including medicine, law, engineering, and architecture.
4. Recommendation letters (official): Occasionally required for admissions or professional licensing boards.
5. School enrollment records: Verify prior education for student visa applications or university admission.

Spanish business registration requires proof that your company is legitimate and that any representative acting on its behalf has legal authority to do so.

1. Articles of incorporation: Confirm that your company has been legally formed.
2. Bylaws or operating agreements: Define the company's structure and management rules.
3. Powers of attorney (business): Authorize a Spanish representative to act on your company's behalf.
4. Certificates of good standing: Confirm the company is active and legally compliant in its home state.
5. Business licenses and permits: Required to demonstrate legal authorization to operate.
6. Shareholder agreements or contracts: Formalize ownership structure and partner obligations.

These are the documents most commonly required by Spanish courts, immigration offices, and government agencies.

1. FBI background checks (FBI Identity History Summary):  The most common document required for Spanish long-term visas and residency permits. These are federal documents, which means they follow a different apostille process than state-level records (covered below).
2. Court orders and judgments: Submitted as evidence in Spanish legal proceedings.
3. Wills and probate documents: Required to handle inheritance or estate matters under Spanish law.
4. Affidavits or sworn statements: Used to confirm declarations for legal or administrative purposes.
5. Adoption records: Legal proof of parentage or guardianship.
6. Immigration forms: Supporting documentation for visa or residency applications.
7. Notarized letters: Any notarized correspondence that requires official recognition in Spain.

If you're buying property, managing assets, or handling financial obligations in Spain, these documents need to be apostilled before Spanish notaries, and banks will act on them.

1. Deeds and property titles: Verify legal ownership of real estate.
2. Mortgage or loan agreements: Confirm financial obligations or secured interests.
3. Trust documents: Used in inheritance, property transfers, or estate management.
4. Financial statements: Required for legal, banking, or business registration purposes.