FBI background check for the Spain digital nomad visa

Last reviewed: 2026-11-07

The Spanish digital nomad visa (the telework visa under the Startups Law) asks for criminal record certificates from the countries you have lived in recently. If one of them is the United States, you need the FBI background check, apostilled and translated by a sworn translator.

Which countries and which years

Spanish consulates ask for a criminal record certificate from each country where you have lived during the last 2 years for the digital nomad visa (other long-stay visas usually ask about the last 5 years). If you lived in the US during that time, that certificate is the FBI background check.

Applications made inside Spain through the UGE follow similar rules. The exact wording varies between consulates, so check the current checklist of the one handling your case.

What Spain accepts

• The FBI background check (Identity History Summary), based on your fingerprints. A state or local police check is not a substitute.
• A Hague apostille from the US Department of State on the FBI result.
• A sworn translation (traducción jurada) into Spanish of the certificate and the apostille, by a translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Translations by anyone else are rejected, however accurate.

How recent it must be

Consulates and the UGE usually accept certificates issued within the last 3 months (90 days). Request the FBI check close to your appointment or filing date. If your appointment moves, check whether the certificate will still be within the window. The calculator below shows the window for your date.

How we do it

1. Fingerprints at one of our offices, to the FBI standard. No need to travel to the US.
2. Electronic submission: the FBI result usually arrives within 24–48 hours.
3. Apostille from the US Department of State.
4. Sworn translation into Spanish, delivered as a PDF for online filing and on paper if you need it.

Questions

I have been in Spain for a year on a tourist stay. Do I still need the FBI check?

If you lived in the US at any point during the last 2 years, usually yes. The consulate or UGE decides, so check their current list.

Can the sworn translation be done before the apostille?

It is better not to: the apostille must be translated together with the certificate, so the translation is done once the apostille is on it.

Do my family members need one too?

Adult family members applying with you are usually asked for their own criminal record certificates. Each person needs their own fingerprints.

General information, not legal advice. Requirements change: always check the current list of the office handling your application.