Does an ACRO Police Certificate Need a Paper Apostille and Sworn Translation for Spain’s Non-Lucrative Visa?

• The Spanish Consulate in London specifies an ACRO Police Certificate for UK criminal-record evidence.
• It requires a Hague Apostille and a sworn Spanish translation.
• ACRO certificates are not eligible for a UK e-Apostille, so allow for a paper-apostille step.

The short answer for applicants using the London route

Yes. If your Non-Lucrative Visa application is handled by the Spanish Consulate General in London, the published checklist calls for an ACRO Police Certificate, a Hague Apostille, and a sworn translation into Spanish. The Consulate also says that the certificate should not be more than six months old unless it states a longer validity period.

This is not merely a question of obtaining a UK criminal-record document. The sequence matters: an ACRO certificate, then legalisation by the UK Legalisation Office, then a Spanish sworn translation that covers what the Spanish authority needs to read.

Why ACRO rather than a DBS check?

The London Consulate’s current Non-Lucrative Visa page specifically says: “For UK Criminal Records submit ACRO Certificate.” That is more precise than a general instruction to provide a police check. A DBS certificate is designed for employment and safeguarding contexts; it is not the document named for this visa route.

If you have lived in another country during the previous five years, the Consulate may also require criminal-record certificates from that country or countries. A UK ACRO certificate does not erase that separate obligation.

Why the apostille must be planned as a paper step

Since the end of the UK’s participation in the EU public-document rules, British documents that need legalisation for Spain normally require a Hague Apostille. The Spanish Consulate in London confirms that British documents requiring legalisation for Spanish authorities must carry it.

For an ACRO certificate, there is a practical limitation worth knowing before you order anything. The UK Government’s Legalisation Office says that ACRO police certificates are not eligible for an e-Apostille. That means the relevant route is a paper apostille, with the original certificate sent or otherwise submitted according to the Legalisation Office’s current process.

That distinction can affect your timetable. Do not build an NLV filing date around an electronic apostille that cannot be issued for this document.

The sworn translation is a separate requirement

The London Consulate expressly requires a sworn Spanish translation for the criminal-record certificate. A translation prepared by a Spanish traductor-intérprete jurado registered in Spain is accepted, and the Consulate explains that translations by such a sworn translator do not themselves need to be legalised.

Give the translator the complete document set that needs translating, rather than assuming the certificate alone is enough. The Consulate notes that an apostille does not need translation only where one of the languages in which it is issued is Spanish. For a UK document pack, ask the sworn translator to confirm exactly what should be included.

A sensible order of work

A practical sequence is:

1. Confirm that London is the competent consular route for your legal residence.
2. Order the ACRO Police Certificate rather than a DBS check.
3. Obtain the required paper Hague Apostille from the UK Legalisation Office.
4. Arrange the sworn Spanish translation of the certificate and any required legalisation material.
5. Check the ACRO issue date again before booking or submitting the visa file.

This order avoids translating a document before you know whether the legalisation step alters the material that must be translated. It also helps protect the six-month validity window.

Keep the immigration question separate from the financial file

The criminal-record document is only one part of an NLV application. You must also establish sufficient resources, qualifying health cover and the other consular requirements. If your financial evidence is based mainly on savings rather than a pension, see our guide to qualifying for Spain’s NLV with savings but no pension. If you already hold Non-Lucrative Residence, the timing rules for renewal are a different issue; our guide explains whether you can renew after expiry.

Anemoss can help British applicants organise the document sequence, identify route-specific gaps and prepare a coherent NLV file. That support does not replace the Consulate’s decision or its right to request further documents.

Official sources checked

• Spanish Consulate General in London: Non-working residence visa
• Spanish Consulate in London: sworn translators
• UK Government: documents that cannot receive an e-Apostille
• UK Government: ACRO police certificates for overseas visa applications

Sources checked 7 November 2026. Consular document rules can change; verify the competent office’s current checklist before filing.

• Ordering a DBS check instead of the ACRO Police Certificate specified by the Spanish Consulate in London.
• Requesting the certificate too early, then discovering it is older than the consulate’s stated six-month limit when you apply.
• Assuming that an online UK legalisation route is available for ACRO certificates.