Birth Certificate

A birth certificate is the document issued by the corresponding Civil or Consular Registry Officer, which attests to the fact of birth, the date it took place, the sex, and, where applicable, the time of birth and the filiation of the registered person.

Likewise, electronic birth certificates with an electronic seal from the Directorate General of Registries and Notaries may be issued based on the data contained in the central database of persons registered in the Civil Registries.

PROCESSING THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE

Types of certificate/certification

Several types of birth certificates may be requested. Certifications can be positive or negative:

A) Positive Certificate:
- Extract: This is a summary of the information relating to the birth as recorded in the Civil Registry. It can be of different types:
- Ordinary: This is issued in Castilian Spanish for those autonomous communities whose sole official language is Castilian Spanish.
- International or multilingual: This is intended to take effect in countries that have ratified the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976. This certificate is issued in the official language of all signatory countries to the said convention (Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro).
- Bilingual: Whenever an extract certificate is requested in an Autonomous Community that has its own official language, it will be issued in Castilian Spanish and in the official language of the Autonomous Community where it is issued.
- Literal: A literal copy of the birth registration, containing all data relating to the identity and the fact of birth.
B) Negative Certificate: These certify that a person is not registered in that Civil Registry.
C) Certification with an electronic seal from the Directorate General of Registries and Notaries: This will serve to certify the data contained in the computerised and digitised registry entries in the central database that have been made from 1 January 1950 in Municipal Civil Registries or in the Central Civil Registry. Certifications cannot be issued by this procedure when entries were made before 1950 or were made in a delegated Civil Registry (justices of the peace) or in a Consular Civil Registry.

Content of certificates/certifications

Certifications will include:

The Registry, indicating the municipality and province for Municipal Registries, and the town and State for Consular Registries.
The identity of the registered person, with the details appearing in the entry.
The page and volume of the entry, or the corresponding folio and file.
The date, name and signature of the Officer or Secretary certifying, and the office seal.
When an electronic seal from the Directorate General of Registries and Notaries is used, information on the secure verification code, the procedure for verifying the content of the issued document, and the date of issue will be included.

Who can request/submit it

1.- An interest in knowing the entries in Civil or Consular Registries is presumed for anyone requesting the certificate. However, publicity will not be given without special authorisation in the following cases:

Of adoptive filiation (without prejudice to the registration made in accordance with the DGRN Instruction of 15 February 1999) or unknown filiation or circumstances that reveal such character, and of the change of the surname Expósito or other similar or inconvenient surnames.
In the case of sex rectification, authorisation in these cases will be granted by the presiding Judge and only to those who justify a legitimate interest and a well-founded reason for requesting it. The certification will state the name of the applicant, the purposes for which it is issued, and the express authorisation of the Officer. The Officer, in the registry directly under their charge, will issue the certification themselves.
Of surname changes authorised in cases of gender violence, or when the urgency of the situation has required it.

2.- Certifications with an electronic seal from the Directorate General of Registries and Notaries can only be requested by the data subject who identifies themselves using an electronic DNI or other advanced electronic signature systems accepted by Public Administrations. These registry data will refer to digitised or computerised birth entries made from 1 January 1950.
In no case can information relating to the registry data of other persons be obtained by this procedure; therefore, this process is NOT possible to carry out from www.registrocivil.es

How to request/submit it

You can request the process through the current website, using the following link:

Birth certificate request

Or you can carry out the process directly at the corresponding Civil Registry, either in person, by postal mail, or electronically if the respective Civil Registry is computerised. You can find more information on the Ministry of Justice website (www.mjusticia.gob.es)

information

Where can I request a birth certificate?

You can request a birth certificate at the Civil Registry corresponding to the municipality where the birth occurred. Check the full list of cities and access detailed information about birth certificates in that municipality.