Are you an administrative agency or a law firm?

No. Landesp coordinates your relocation process, and our partner lawyers handle the legal work when your case requires it. Procedures and documents are checked against official sources.

How much does it cost?

The Student Pack has a fixed price of €300 per person. Essential depends on your procedure and headcount: you define your case in two minutes, see the price and scope in writing, and only then decide whether to pay. No hidden costs or later charges.

I'm already in Spain. Can you help me?

Yes. Registration, bank account, digital certificate or utilities if you have just arrived; and family reunification if you have been here for a while. We handle it with you.

Can you guarantee an appointment for my procedure?

No one can honestly guarantee an appointment at a public office, whether immigration, the police, the town hall or the consulate: availability depends on each administration. What we do guarantee is our part: the file ready, official channels monitored and the request filed the moment a slot opens.

How long does the process take?

We recommend starting 8 to 12 weeks before arrival. Some procedures can be prepared from your home country; others are only possible in Spain. With early planning, many clients are operational within 15 to 30 days of arrival.

What are the 7 biggest mistakes people make when moving to Spain?

1) Paying rental deposits without verifying property ownership or reviewing lease terms; 2) Misunderstanding immigration rules (arriving as a tourist for procedures requiring a prior consular visa); 3) Delaying mandatory local municipal registration (empadronamiento); 4) Overlooking tax residency rules (such as the 183-day rule or Beckham Law deadlines); 5) Purchasing health insurance with co-payments rejected by immigration; 6) Arriving without police certificates or degrees properly apostilled and sworn-translated; and 7) Postponing TIE appointments and bank account opening without organized proof of funds.

Can you move and live in Spain?

Yes, absolutely. Spain offers well-established legal residency pathways: the Digital Nomad Visa (for remote employees and international freelancers under the Startup Act), the Student Visa (which permits working up to 30 hours per week), the Non-Lucrative Visa (for individuals with sufficient savings or passive income), highly qualified professional visas, investor visas, and residency through arraigo. The key is organizing your documentation and choosing the right legal route before travelling.

What are the do's and don'ts in Spain?

Do's: register your address (empadronamiento) immediately upon signing your lease; apply for your TIE residence card within 30 days of arrival; seek professional tax advice before your first 183 days; and verify property records before sending any money. Don'ts: never transfer rent deposits without lease verification and land registry check; do not exhaust your 90-day Schengen stay without a valid legal pathway; and do not purchase cheap insurance with co-payments.

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Paperwork

Apostille and sworn translation of your FBI background check for Spain

How to get the FBI background check apostilled by the US Department of State and translated by a certified MAEC sworn translator for Spanish visas.

An apostille certificate with a red wax seal

Document legalization is where thousands of Spanish visa applications get stranded for months. For American citizens and residents, Spain requires an official FBI Identity History Summary apostilled specifically by the US Department of State in Washington D.C., followed by an official Spanish Sworn Translation (Traducción Jurada). How do you navigate this multi-step bureaucratic chain without missing your relocation deadlines?

Step 1: The FBI Identity History Summary (Fingerprinting)

Spain does not accept state-level police certificates for national visas; applicants must submit an nationwide federal background check directly from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division).

The fastest method is submitting an online request via the FBI portal and visiting an approved US Postal Service (USPS) location equipped with live-scan electronic fingerprint capture. Electronic FBI clearances are typically generated within 24 to 48 hours in PDF format.

Step 2: The US Department of State Hague Apostille (The Real Bottleneck)

An FBI background check is a federal instrument; state Secretaries of State (e.g., in California, New York, or Texas) cannot apostille it. The document must be submitted to the US Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington D.C. along with Form DS-4194.

Processing times through the Office of Authentications regularly range between 4 to 8 weeks. Expedited congressional inquiries or licensed courier submission channels can substantially compress this timeline, ensuring your criminal record does not exceed Spain's strict validity window.

Keep reading1099 freelancers and the digital nomad visa: invoices and the 20% rule

Step 3: Official Sworn Translation (Traductor Jurado MAEC)

Under Spanish administrative law (Law 39/2015), any foreign public document submitted in another language must be accompanied by an official translation into Spanish.

Crucially, Spain does not accept standard translations notarized by an American Notary Public. The translation must be executed and sealed by a certified 'Traductor-Intérprete Jurado' officially accredited by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC). A translation bearing an official MAEC digital signature is accepted immediately by the UGE and all Spanish consulates without further authentication.

FBI Criminal Check Legalization Timeline & Pathway for Spain

Stage of Process	Responsible Agency	Timeline	Critical Pitfall to Avoid
1. FBI Fingerprinting (LiveScan)	USPS Post Office / FBI Channeler	24 to 48 hours	Submitting blurry paper cards that get rejected
2. Federal Apostille Issuance	US Department of State (D.C.)	4 to 8 weeks	Attempting state-level Secretary of State apostille
3. Official Spanish Translation	MAEC-Certified Sworn Translator	2 to 4 business days	Using US certified/notarized translations (denied)
4. Validity Window	Consular / WEEK Acceptance	Strict 90 to 180 days	Letting the document expire before filing date

Key Practical Tips

What the team recommends before you file anything:

Validity windows. Criminal background checks for Spanish immigration are generally valid for exactly 6 months from the date the FBI certificate is issued (some consulates enforce 3 months; always verify regional jurisdiction rules).
Do not translate your FBI report before obtaining the apostille. The Hague Apostille itself must also be translated by your sworn translator.

Required Documentation Checklist

Official FBI Identity History Summary electronic clearance with watermark.
Form DS-4194 completed with exact return courier shipping labels.
Hague Apostille certificate issued and attached by the US Department of State.
Certified Spanish translation bearing the official seal and signature of a MAEC Traductor Jurado.
Digital PDF copy preserved for electronic submission to the UGE portal.

Sources: Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents; US Department of State - Office of Authentications (Washington D.C.); Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación (MAEC) - Lista Oficial de Traductores-Intérpretes Jurados.