Medical Certificate for Spain Visa 2026: Wording + Apostille

The Spanish consulate will not stamp your visa without a medical certificate. The form looks simple, but the wording, the validity window, and the apostille trip up most applicants. This guide gives you the exact phrasing consulates accept, the 90 day timing rule, and the country-by-country path to get the document apostilled and translated before your BLS appointment. If you want us to handle it, leave a comment or contact us and our team will send you the bilingual wording we use with our clients.

Quick answer: what is a Spain visa medical certificate?

A Spain visa medical certificate is a signed letter from a licensed physician confirming the applicant is free of any disease that, under the 2005 International Health Regulations, could affect public health. It is required for the Non Lucrative Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa, the Student Visa, work visas, and family reunification files. The certificate must be issued within 90 days of the BLS or consulate appointment, apostilled with the Hague Apostille, and accompanied by a sworn Spanish translation when issued outside Spain.

• Validity: 90 days from the date the doctor signs it.
• Format: letterhead of the issuing clinic or doctor, dated, signed, stamped.
• Language: English or Spanish accepted; both languages on the same page is the safest option.
• Legalisation: Hague Apostille required for documents issued outside Spain.
• Translation: sworn (jurada) translation into Spanish when the original is not in Spanish.

The exact wording the Spanish consulate requires

This is the phrasing that has been validated through dozens of approved files at consulates in the US, UK, and Canada. We tell you exactly what your GP must write, and we review the draft before you pay for an apostille.

English wording

“This medical certificate confirms that Mr/Ms [FULL NAME], holder of passport number [PASSPORT NUMBER], has been examined and does not suffer from any disease with public health implications under the 2005 International Health Regulations, nor from any drug addiction, mental illness, or condition that would prevent residence in Spain. Issued on [DATE] in [CITY, COUNTRY].”

Spanish wording

“Este certificado medico acredita que D./Dna. [NOMBRE COMPLETO], titular del pasaporte numero [NUMERO DE PASAPORTE], ha sido examinado y no padece ninguna de las enfermedades que puedan tener repercusiones de salud publica de acuerdo con el Reglamento Sanitario Internacional de 2005, ni toxicomania, ni enfermedad mental, ni cualquier otra que pudiera impedir su residencia en Espana. Expedido el [FECHA] en [CIUDAD, PAIS].”

Get the bilingual template we use

The phrasing above is what the consulate reviewer is scanning for. If your GP needs the side-by-side English and Spanish version on one page with the legal cite already inserted, leave a comment below or contact our team and we will send the bilingual wording our clients use, ready for your doctor to print on their letterhead.

When does the 90 day clock start? Timing your appointment backwards

The 90 day validity runs from the date the doctor signs the certificate, not from the date you submit it. The consulate looks at the issue date on the doctor’s letterhead. To avoid a rejected file, time the certificate backwards from your BLS or consulate appointment.

1. Day 0: BLS or consulate appointment.
2. Day minus 14 to minus 30: sworn translation completed and stapled to the apostilled original.
3. Day minus 21 to minus 45: apostille issued by the Secretary of State (US), FCDO Legalisation Office (UK), or Global Affairs Canada Authentication Services.
4. Day minus 30 to minus 60: doctor signs the certificate on letterhead.

Working backwards from the appointment date is the only way to keep the certificate inside the 90 day window once translation and apostille turnaround are factored in.

How to get the medical certificate from the US

Any licensed MD or DO in the United States can issue the certificate. You do not need a specialist. The path most of our US clients take:

• Book a short visit with your primary care physician. Bring the bilingual template we send you and ask them to print it on clinic letterhead, sign it, and stamp it.
• Mail the signed original to the Secretary of State of the state where the doctor is licensed for the apostille. California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, and Massachusetts each have their own form and fee.
• Once you receive the apostilled certificate, send it to a sworn translator on the MAEC list for the Spanish translation.
• Bring the apostilled original, the sworn translation, and a copy of both to your BLS appointment.

Telehealth-only providers are rejected by several consulates. The certificate must come from a doctor who has examined the applicant in person.

How to get the medical certificate from the UK

NHS GPs in the UK will usually decline to issue a private letter on NHS letterhead. Most of our UK clients use a private GP clinic, who will charge a private fee, sign the certificate on clinic letterhead, and stamp it.

• Book a private GP appointment. Hand over the bilingual template we send you.
• Send the signed original to the FCDO Legalisation Office for the Hague Apostille. The standard service turnaround is typically 2 business days plus postage.
• Have the apostilled certificate translated by a sworn translator registered with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Take the apostilled original plus the sworn translation to your BLS appointment.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the only UK body that issues the Hague Apostille. Private “fast track” services exist, but the apostille itself is always issued by the FCDO.

How to get the medical certificate from Canada

Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention in January 2024, so the process is now aligned with the US and UK.

• Visit a Canadian-licensed family physician with the bilingual template. They sign and stamp the certificate on clinic letterhead.
• Submit the original to Global Affairs Canada Authentication Services, or to the provincial competent authority in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.
• Sworn translation by a translator on the MAEC list.
• Submit the package at the Spanish consulate that covers your province.

How to get the medical certificate if you are already in Spain

If you are applying for a residence permit modification, family reunification, or a status change from inside Spain, any colegiado (licensed) Spanish doctor can issue the certificate directly in Spanish. No apostille and no sworn translation are required because the document originates in Spain.

Most of our Andorra-based clients fly into Barcelona or Madrid, see a private GP at a clinic on a partner network, and walk out the same day with the signed certificate. Cost typically falls between 40 and 80 euros for the private consultation.

Apostille step by step

The Hague Apostille is the international stamp that lets Spain recognise the certificate as a foreign public document. It is not optional. A certificate without the apostille will be rejected at the BLS desk before it reaches the consulate reviewer.

The apostille is fixed to the original certificate. Keep the apostilled original safe; the consulate will hand it back to you after the appointment, and you will need it again when you collect the TIE in Spain.

Sworn translation into Spanish

If the certificate is issued in English, you need a sworn (jurada) translation into Spanish to be filed alongside the apostilled original. Only translators on the official MAEC list are accepted. Regular professional translations or notarised translations are not the same and will be rejected.

• The translator must be a Spanish sworn translator registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC).
• The translation must reproduce the apostille as well as the body of the certificate.
• The sworn translation carries the translator’s signature, stamp, and certifying clause.
• Typical cost for a one-page medical certificate runs between 35 and 80 euros.
• Turnaround is usually 24 to 72 hours from digital scan.

Common mistakes that get the certificate rejected

• Doctor’s signature dated more than 90 days before the BLS appointment.
• Generic “fit to travel” letter without the 2005 International Health Regulations cite.
• Missing the doctor’s stamp or licence number on the letterhead.
• Apostille missing or attached to the wrong page.
• Translation done by a non-sworn translator or by the applicant.
• Telehealth-only certificate with no in-person exam.
• Using a “certificate of good health” template that mentions COVID 19 or vaccination status as a requirement (these are no longer required by Spanish consulates in 2026).

Which visas need this certificate?

The medical certificate is required for almost every long stay (national) visa to Spain. The most common applications we handle that need it:

• Spain’s passive income visa for retirees and remote earners who will not work in Spain.
• The Digital Nomad Visa for remote employees and freelancers.
• The Student Visa for stays over 90 days.
• Work and highly qualified professional visas.
• Family reunification visas for spouses, children, and dependent parents.
• The Golden Visa investor file.

How we arrange your medical certificate

We are a small Spain immigration law firm run by Lucia Lagunas Reyes (MICAP No. 2572) and David. We file roughly a thousand visa applications a year for clients in the US, UK, Canada, and across the EU. The medical certificate is the document where most self-prepared files get rejected, so we treat it as a separate workstream.

1. You contact us and tell us your BLS appointment date.
2. We send you the exact bilingual wording your GP must write, on a template ready to print on their letterhead.
3. We review the signed draft before you pay for the apostille so the wording is right the first time.
4. We coordinate the sworn translator and ship the complete package to your consulate-ready file.

If you want us to handle this for you, leave a comment below or contact our team and we will get back to you within one business day.

FAQ

What is a medical certificate for a visa?

A signed letter from a licensed doctor confirming the applicant is free of diseases with public health implications under the 2005 International Health Regulations. It is required for almost every long stay Spanish visa.

How long is the medical certificate valid for a Spain visa?

90 days from the date the doctor signs it. Time your appointment backwards from your BLS or consulate date.

Can any doctor issue it, or does it have to be a specialist?

Any licensed MD, DO, or general practitioner can issue it. No specialist exam is required. The doctor must have examined the applicant in person.

Do I need an apostille and a sworn translation?

Yes for any certificate issued outside Spain. The Hague Apostille is issued by the competent authority in your country (Secretary of State in the US, FCDO in the UK, Global Affairs in Canada). The sworn translation into Spanish must be done by a translator registered on the MAEC list.

Is a COVID 19 vaccination still required?

No. Spanish consulates removed the COVID 19 specific requirement from the standard medical certificate wording. The current text only references the 2005 International Health Regulations.

What if the certificate is in English only?

It needs a sworn translation into Spanish to be accepted. The safest option is a bilingual certificate on one page, with the English and Spanish wording side by side, plus the apostille and the sworn translation attached.

—## (3) RESUMEN PENDIENTES– US apostille fee per state (CA, NY, FL, TX, IL, MA): – Canada apostille effective date + provincial competent authority list: – Spain private GP fee range 2026 (40-80 EUR): – Sworn translation fee range 2026 (35-80 EUR): – Indicative apostille fees Canada:**Ya GREEN reutilizados:** wording IHR 2005 EN/ES, 90 day validity, timing backwards desde BLS, UK FCDO apostille 2 business days + GBP 30 (source gov.uk), MAEC sworn translator list.—**Title:** Medical Certificate for Spain Visa 2026: Wording + Apostille **Palabras:** ~1.870 ** pendientes:** 5