Legalisation

Legalisation is the process of validating the authenticity of official documents issued abroad (academic transcripts, degree certificates, etc.).

If you need to submit official documents issued abroad for an administrative procedure at the UAB, these documents may or may not need to be legalised, depending on the issuing country (case A, B or C below):

A) Official documents issued in European Union countries: No legalisation at all is required for documents issued in member states of the European Union or signatories of the European Economic Area Agreement. The same applies to documents issued by Switzerland, under a bilateral agreement with the European Union.

B) Documents issued in countries subscribed to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961: the only requirement is an apostille from the competent authorities in the country.

C) Documents issued in other countries. These must be legalised diplomatically, through the following procedure:

• The education ministry in the country of origin. No stamp is needed from this institution in the case of degree certificates and academic transcripts from Brazilian universities.
• All foreign documents legalised by the foreign ministry of the country of origin, as from 10 June 2013 (irrespective of the document's date of issue), must bear a transparent security label over the final signature. 
• From the above date, foreign documents duly legalised by Spanish embassies or consulates in other countries, provided that the bear the transparent security label, will be fully valid in Spain without any further legalisation by the Legalisation Section of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

Certain countries have their own peculiarities regarding legalisation:

- In Japan academic documents are legalised diplomatically, as they are not public documents and cannot be apostilled.
- In Brazil the signatures on degrees certificates are legalised by Brazilian notaries. 
- In Iran legalisation is done through the Iranian foreign ministry and the Spanish embassy in Tehran.

For more information on legalisation visit the website of the Spanish Ministry.

Official translation

When you have to submit official documents issued abroad to the UAB, take into account the language these are written in: 

• Documents issued in Catalan, Spanish or English do not need an official translation.
• Documents issued in French, Italian or Portuguese: the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona will accept a translation by the Language Service of the UAB of documents written in French, Italian or Portuguese, or a sworn translation.
• Documents issued in other languages must be accompanied by a translation into Catalan or Spanish carried out by a sworn translator who is duly authorised and appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

Legalisation of Spanish academic documents for use abroad

As stipulated in the Order of 16 April 1990, on legalisation of Spanish academic documents for use in a country subscribed to the Hague Convention, these documents must be officially legalised.
 
1. Official qualifications. Diplomatic legalisation
 
The legalisation procedure begins with the recognition of the signatures that appear on the documents. In general, if the documents to be legalised (academic certificates, subject syllabuses, provisional degree certificates, or degree scrolls) are signed only by the persons named on the document rather than by delegation, authorisation, or resolution, the student can apply directly for recognition of the signatures to the Barcelona or Madrid offices of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport or the Spanish Ministry of Justice (part 2 of the process).
 
The signatures must be hand-written, the use of stamps not being permitted. The signature should preferably be in blue ink. Failure to comply with these recommendations may cause delays in the legalisation process .
 
The following cases should also be taken into consideration.

• Regarding provisional degree certificates, students may obtain the recognition of signatures directly in Barcelona or Madrid (part 2 of the process), unless the document does not include the date of the resolution of the authorisation of the signature. In this case the student must always begin the procedure by approaching the Legal Department of the UAB.
• Regarding degree scrolls, if these are signed by authorisation on behalf of the Head of the Area of Academic Affairs, the student must always begin the procedure by approaching the Legal Department of the UAB.
• If the academic manager has signed on the reverse of the degree scroll but his name does not appear, the Academic Management Service must verify the signature and add the name of the person who has signed, and the student may then approach the Ministry of Education directly.
• Academic certificates and subject syllabuses must always be signed by the centre's attestor. If the document is signed by authorisation, on behalf of the student records officer, the date of the resolution of the authorisation must always appear on the document. In this case too, students may obtain the recognition of signatures directly in Barcelona or Madrid (part 2 of the process).

 
The complete procedure for legalisation is the following.
 
1) Where appropriate, go to:

Gabinet Jurídic de la UAB (Legal Department of the UAB)
Edifici del Rectorat
Campus Universitari
Tel. 935812574

The next stage in the process depends on whether the legalisation is for countries subscribed to the Hague Convention, or for countries that are not.
 
Legalisation for countries subscribed to the Hague Convention:
 
2) The student must apply for recognition of signatures in Barcelona or Madrid:

Delegació del Govern
Alta Inspecció d'Educació
C/ Bergara 12, 5è Planta
08002 Barcelona
Tel. 935209603
 
Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte.
Servicio de Títulos
Paseo del Prado, 28
28014 Madrid
Tel. 915065600, extension 65063

3) Finally, the student must apply for the document to be legalised in Barcelona or Madrid:

a) Ministerio de Justicia
    Legalisation Section
    C/ Caballero, 52-56
    08014 Barcelona
    Tel. 933494180

b) Tribunal Superior de Justicia
    Pº Lluís Companys, 14-16
    08018 Barcelona
    Tel. 934866786

    Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores
    C/ Pechuan, 1
    28002 Madrid
    Tel. 913791700

Legalisation for countries not subscribed to the Hague Convention:
 
2) The student must apply for recognition of signatures in Madrid:

Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte
Servicio de Títulos
Paseo del Prado, 28
28014 Madrid
Tel. 915065600, extension 65063

3) The student must apply for the document to be legalised in Madrid:

Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores
C/ Juan de Mena, 4
28071 Madrid
Tel. 913791610/913791700

4) Finally, the student must obtain recognition of the above signatures at the diplomatic or consular offices in Spain of the country where the document is to be used.


2. University-specific qualifications. Legalisation by a notary

The signatures must be hand-written, the use of stamps not being permitted. The signature should preferably be in blue ink. Failure to comply with these recommendations may cause delays in the legalisation process .
 
The following cases should also be taken into consideration.

• For all documents issued by the School for Doctoral Studies, the student may approach a notary directly (part 2 of the process).
• In the case of university-specific qualifications, for all documents not issued by the School for Doctoral Studies, the student must always begin the procedure with the Legal Department of the UAB.

 The complete procedure for legalisation is the following.
 
1) Where appropriate, go to:

Gabinet Jurídic de la UAB (Legal Department of the UAB)
Rectorate Building
Campus Universitari
Tel. 935812574

The next stage in the process depends on whether the legalisation is for countries subscribed to the Hague Convention, or for countries that are not.
 
Legalisation for countries subscribed to the Hague Convention:
 
2) Once the signatures have been recognised, the student must approach the notary with whom the university's signatures are deposited, at the following address.

Sr. Teodoro López Cuesta Fernández
Avinguda Primavera, núm. 7 1-1
08290 Cerdanyola del Vallès
Tel. 936925000 - 936925366

3) Finally, the student must apply to the Official Association of Notaries of Catalonia to recognise the notary's signature.

Col·legi Oficial de Notaris de Catalunya
C/ Notariat, 4
08001 Barcelona
Tel. 933174800

Legalisation for countries not subscribed to the Hague Convention:
 
2) Once the signatures have been recognised, the student must approach the notary with whom the university's signatures are deposited, at the following address.

Sr. Teodoro López Cuesta Fernández
Avinguda Primavera, núm. 7 1-1
08290 Cerdanyola del Vallès
Tel. 936925000 - 936925366

3) The student must apply to the Official Association of Notaries of Catalonia to recognise the notary's signature.

Col·legi Oficial de Notaris de Catalunya
C/ Notariat, 4
08001 Barcelona
Tel. 933174800

4) The student must apply for recognition of signatures in Barcelona or Madrid:

Ministeri de Justícia
Secció de Legalitzacions
C/ Garcilaso, 123
08027 Barcelona
 
Ministerio de Justicia
Sección de Legalizaciones
C/ San Bernardo, 66
28015 Madrid
Tel. 913902000

5) On obtaining the recognition of signatures at the Spanish Ministry of Justice, the recognition process must continue in Barcelona or Madrid:

Subdelegació del Govern
C/ Bergara, 12
08002 Barcelona
Tel. 935209000
 
Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores
C/ Juan de Mena, 4
28071 Madrid
Tel. 913791610/913791700

6) Finally, the student must obtain recognition of the above signatures at the diplomatic or consular offices in Spain of the country where the document is to be used.