Certified translation in Spain is modernising.

As part of the process of digitalising public services, certified translators and interpreters can celebrate the publication of Order AUC/213/2025 of 26 February on the Certification of the Actions of Certified Translators-Interpreters. 

This is something we have long been waiting for. It may not be everything we wanted, but it is a step forward and modernises the system somewhat. A few years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government allowed the possibility of certified translations being issued with electronic or digital signatures. However, it failed to provide a clear regulation or legal framework for this. We managed to get translations accepted with electronic signatures and it was no longer always necessary to provide them on paper, with all the hassle of picking them up in person or the additional courier or postal charges that often entails. However, it was still necessary to print them out, physically sign the translations, stamp them, and then scan them. Although some colleagues added an image of the stamp because it was not expressly forbidden, doing so was not specifically permitted. It was entirely up to the receiving authorities whether or not to accept it.

The new order on qualified electronic signatures allows certified translators-interpreters to certify their translations completely digitally. No need for a physical stamp, which saves ink, paper and considerable time. In this article, I explain the changes introduced by this regulation and how to implement them correctly so the electronic signature is unique, verifiable and legally-valid throughout the European Union. The following requirements must be met:

• A qualified natural person’s electronic certificate must be used, which matches the details of the certified translator-interpreter certifying the translation. The certificate must be issued by an authorised trusted provider, such as the one we use to operate with the Spanish government or the one used for the electronic ID card. You can check the validity of the electronic signature on a certified translation through this link: https://valide.redsara.es.
• The digital signature must be applied to the entire document (the translation and the original, which cannot be separated or modified). These details must be provided on the last page of the translation, which must be electronically signed together with the rest of the document in a PDF that cannot be modified after the digital signature is added.
• Instead of the physical stamp, an extra identification box with the certified translator’s details must be included if they are not in the digital signature itself. The following information must be provided: full name of the certified translator-interpreter signing the translation; the language(s) in which he/she is authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; and the certified translator-interpreter number assigned to him/her. Optionally, an image of the handwritten signature can be included. This is purely informative and does not replace the qualified electronic signature.

Certified translations with electronic signatures are valid throughout the EU and in many other countries. This new order simplifies their use in digital processes involving the government, courts and notaries. In short, the possibility of sending certified translations by e-mail without having to print them (thus saving paper and ink) means faster document delivery, guaranteed security and authenticity through digital encryption and the indivisibility of the document, international acceptance, and digital compatibility.

As I mentioned at the beginning, we have been waiting for this development for a long time. Some of us had hoped the government would go further and assign us a specific signature, not the general signature that we use as members of the public, which shows our personal ID number instead of our certified translator-interpreter number. 

Certification with a handwritten signature and the traditional physical stamp may end up being replaced by certification with an electronic signature. But the current rules do not exclude or invalidate the traditional format and some bodies may require paper documents, even though the electronic signature has full legal validity. In those cases, it is the client’s responsibility to check whether certified translations with an electronic or digital signature are acceptable or whether they need to be done the old-fashioned way.