Libbie Stevens | Visa Advisor, Wilmer Health | Published: 6 May 2026
This guide is for informational purposes only and reflects requirements as understood in 2026. Visa requirements can vary by consulate and are subject to change. Always confirm specific requirements with the Spanish consulate or immigration authority handling your application. For specific advice about your individual application, contact us at hello@wilmerhealth.com.
You have done the hard work of getting your ACRO certificate sorted. But before it goes anywhere near your Spanish visa application, it is worth taking a few minutes to check that everything is in order.
The ACRO certificate is one of the most common reasons Spanish visa applications run into problems — not because people have the wrong criminal record, but because the document itself has not been prepared correctly. A certificate that is too old, missing an apostille, or submitted as a digital copy instead of an original will be rejected regardless of what it shows.
This checklist covers every requirement your ACRO certificate needs to meet before you submit your Spanish visa application in 2026. For a complete overview of the ACRO certificate and the full application process, see our complete UK guide to the ACRO certificate for a Spanish visa.
This sounds obvious, but it is worth confirming. The document you need is the ACRO International Police Certificate — sometimes referred to as an ACRO Criminal Records Certificate.
A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check is not accepted, regardless of the level — Basic, Standard or Enhanced. If you are not sure which document you have, check the header. It should clearly show the ACRO Criminal Records Office branding. If it references the Disclosure and Barring Service, it is the wrong document. Our guide to ACRO vs DBS for a Spanish visa explains the difference in full.
Spanish consulates require your ACRO certificate to have been issued within the six months prior to your visa application submission date. The certificate does not carry a printed expiry date, but consulates will check the issue date and will not accept anything older than six months.
The six-month window runs from the date printed on the certificate — not the date you apostilled it or the date of your consulate appointment.
If your certificate is close to the six-month mark or has already lapsed, you will need to apply for a new one before submitting your application. Factor this into your planning from the start — see our guide to how to get an ACRO certificate for a Spanish visa for advice on timing your application correctly.
For your ACRO certificate to be accepted by a Spanish consulate, it must carry a UK Hague Apostille issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). This is a form of official legalisation that confirms the document is a genuine UK public document.
Without the apostille, your certificate will not be accepted — full stop.
The apostille should be physically attached to your original ACRO certificate. It is a separate page bearing the FCDO stamp and signature, and it travels with your certificate as one document. For more on the apostille and how to obtain it, see our guide to whether your ACRO certificate needs an apostille for a Spanish visa.
The apostille must be attached to the original ACRO certificate as issued — not to a photocopy, scan, or duplicate. If you have photocopied your certificate and sent the copy for apostilling, that document will not be accepted.
Keep your original certificate safe from the moment it arrives, and make sure it is the original that goes to the FCDO for apostilling.
Spanish consulates require original physical documents for submission — not printed scans or digital copies. This applies to your apostilled ACRO certificate.
Check the specific requirements of the consulate handling your application before you submit. London, Manchester and Edinburgh consulates all have their own submission processes, and it is always worth confirming their current requirements directly.
When ACRO issues your certificate, it sometimes includes a cover sheet or covering letter alongside the certificate itself. This cover sheet does not need to be apostilled — only the certificate itself requires the apostille.
If you are unsure which part of your documents is the certificate and which is the cover sheet, the certificate will be the page that shows your personal details and criminal record status. The cover sheet is typically a brief introductory letter from ACRO.
Before submitting anything, check that the personal details on your ACRO certificate are correct — your full name, date of birth, and any other identifying information. Errors on the certificate can cause problems at the consulate, and if anything is wrong you will need to contact ACRO to request a corrected version.
Also check that the certificate covers the correct period. If you have spent time living abroad in the past five years, Spain may also require criminal record certificates from those countries — the ACRO certificate covers your UK record only.
Use this as a final check before you submit your visa application:
If something in the checklist above is not in order, your application is at risk. The most common issues we see are certificates that are just past the six-month window, apostilles attached to copies rather than originals, and the wrong document type submitted altogether.
For a full breakdown of what goes wrong and how to fix it, see our guide to why ACRO certificates are rejected for Spanish visa applications.
The ACRO certificate is a straightforward document — but the requirements around it are specific, and getting any one of them wrong can set your visa application back significantly.
If you want to make sure everything is prepared correctly without having to manage it yourself, Wilmer Health’s fully managed ACRO certificate service handles the application, apostille and delivery for £345 — ready for your consulate submission within 12 working days.