One of the most common questions I usually get when discussing genealogy is “how can I get my ancestor’s birth certificate from Spain?”. The procedure is actually pretty straight-forward and it usually only takes a few days – if you’re lucky!- to reach your doorstep. Oh, and most importantly, it’s free of charge wherever you live!
Going on an official government’s website can be a bit confusing, not least because of the language barrier, which is why I have prepared a simple PDF manual that will hopefully help you to order a Spanish birth certificate step by step.
Remember you can always contact me if you have additional questions or if anything remains unclear!
A traditional Spanish birth certificate before the introduction of telematic forms.
The Genealogy Corner 
Can anyone order a certificate ? Or has it got to be a relative ? Your article is very helpful.
Hi William! Thanks for dropping by! Yes, anyone can order a birth/marriage/death certificate without necessarily being related to the person or persons contained therein. The only exceptions where a family link may be needed (always on an ad hoc basis) will be when the birth is recent (and therefore the person may be alive) or if the information contained in the side note makes the information on certificate somewhat “sensitive” (e.g. if the person was deemed legally incapable, or if he/she was born illegitimate and there may be a reason for hiding the child’s parents’ identity). I have ordered many certificates in my time and in my experience proof of family relationship has only been requested twice. Hope this helps! Best wishes.
Many thanks. Most helpful.
My name is joe Gilbert i was adopted out of vanlncia Spain need to get a birth certificate from Valencia Spain & Don’t have any info but date of birth & Spanish birth name. If leas need help. 7856697011
I am having major trouble obtaining a birth certificate with hardly anyone information
The PDF step-by-step guide I linked above should be helpful. If you need extra help feel free to drop me an e-mail. Best wishes.
Thank you so much for supplying this information. I am using your step by step guide to order a ‘certificación Literal de nacimiento’ for my dad and for myself. I am a Spanish national but was born in the UK. My dad was born in Spain back in 1930 ( my mother is also Spanish) and until 2000 I had a spanish passport and was officially Spanish. Then after marriage to a UK citizen and the birth of my son I lost my Spanish nationality due to my own ignorance. I simply did not renew my Spanish passport which means that after 3 years I automatically lost my Spanish nationality.
Today I have ordered both certificates which I need in order to reapply for my passport and without your step by step guide( and some advice from my Spanish friend) I would have probably given up as a lost cause…. Many thanks.
I’m very glad to hear that Anna! I hope you’ve been successful in regaining your Spanish nationality!
Hello Dawsr. How are you? I have two queries: 1) Can I order a certificate from overseas all the way from the United Arab Emirates? 2) There are so many websites that I can order from, how do I know which one is legitimate or not? They all charge for the services. Examples are https://registrocivil.pro/
https://www.certificadodelregistrocivil.es/certificados-registro-civil-la-coruna
https://registrocivil.es/
Thank you, I would really appreciate your help
Oh and Happy new year! 🙂
Hello Randa,
Happy New Year!
To answer your first question, yes you can order a copy of a certificate to be sent to the UAE. Make sure to inclue an e-mail address and a telephone in case the registry office need to contact you.
As for the second question, the website you quote is not an official source so I would be cautious about using them. I advise anyone wishing to order a B/M/D certificate from Spain to use the website of the Spanish Ministry of Justice, and look for the page under “Services” where one can order the certificates online (see my downloadable PDF for more information).
If you have any more questions feel free to drop me a line either here or via e-mail.
Best regards,
Dawsr
Thank you so much Dawsr! Your post, blog and PDF were all extremely helpful. I wanted to ask, would the birth certificate contain a civil registry stamp or authentication stamp of sorts?
Thanks again 🙂
Absolutely! They should include a stamp and the signature of the registrar or the registry secretary, as well as a reference to the book and page where the certificate itself is located. 🙂
You’ve been incredibly helpful Dawsr. I can’t thank you enough! 🙂 🙂
Hi
Thank you for your very useful blog. Do you have any suggestions or information on obtaining Spanish marriage, birth and death certificates prior to the 1850s
Thank you
Sorry I should have stated the area in Spain. The marriage was in the province of Cadiz, the petition for the marriage is recorded as being in Jerez. The bride being from El Puerto de Santa Maria.
kind regards
The most obvious response would be consulting the Church archives. To find out more, I would suggest consulting with a local genealogist such as https://genealogistaprofesional.es/ who has first-hand knowledge of the area. I hope you find what you’re looking for!
Thank you so much for your response. Yes I had tried to find the information and contact the church records myself. But found my very limited Spanish did not help. And few researchers responded to my request. So thank you for this contact. Kindest regards Sondra
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Thank you so much for your response. Yes I had tried to find the information and contact the church records myself. But found my very limited Spanish did not help. And few researchers responded to my request. So thank you for this contact.
Kindest regards
It’s asking me for a safe verification code when i get to Step 4….
Has their website changed?
Hi! No, the sit seems the same, I tried yesterday and it worked fine. Could you have selected another type of form?
Hi Dawsr,
Thank you for the PDF File you provided us with! It is terrific!
However, I live in the USA and my home address does not have a street name; how do you suggest I enter this information? Thank you very much!
Hello ! Thanks for this information. I filled out the form as instructed. However, I received a response saying I needed to provide the book and page number for my request. Now what?
I usually insert three zeros in the space for book and page, as these are mandatory fields. If you encounter an issue you may want to contact the registry office directly informing them of the issue, and asking if they can send the request via e-mail.
My father was born in Spain,but wad told that he was adopted…Need to find out and or get his birth surname..pls help
Ok – I tried that . No luck. Contacting the registry office may prove problematic. I do not speak Spanish, and relied on a friend to translate/interpret the communications I received. I don’t understand what you mean by asking them to send the request via email. Can you explain for this novice? Thanks
Daniel – it just occurred to me that my search is an unusual one. I am seeking birth certificates from 1871, 1875, and 1878. I don’t even know where to start when it comes to book/page information. All I have are the full names and exact dates of birth. Is there another avenue to follow? Another office to contact? Any help or direction would be appreciated
My father was born in either Spain or Austria in 1918. Can you help me find out where he was born so I can get his birth certificate in order to apply for my dual citizenship?