By Dr Andrew Smith | Medical Director, Wilmer Health | Published: 15 May 2026
This guide is reviewed regularly to reflect current Spanish consulate requirements. Last updated in 2026 by Dr Andrew Smith, Medical Director, Wilmer Health. For specific advice about your individual application, contact us at hello@wilmerhealth.com.
If you’re applying for a Spanish long-stay visa from the USA, a medical certificate is one of the documents you’ll need. But it’s not just any letter from a doctor. The Spanish consulate has specific requirements for what the certificate must include, who can issue it, and how it needs to be prepared before submission.
Get any of these wrong and the certificate will be rejected, even if everything else in your application is perfect. This guide covers exactly what’s required.
For the full picture on the whole process, read our complete guide to getting a Spanish visa medical certificate from the USA.
At Wilmer Health, you can get a Spanish visa medical certificate in English and Spanish, signed today by a licensed doctor.
✓ Issued the same day, no appointment needed
✓ Issued on the official bilingual template – saving you $100+ on translation
✓ Hand-signed by a licensed doctor (MD)
✓ Original copy shipped to you by priority courier, anywhere in the USA
✓ $149 flat fee, with a money-back guarantee
✓ Accepted at all 9 Spanish consulates in the USA
Or, if you’d like to understand the process in more detail, please read on →
It’s a certificate from a licensed doctor confirming that you don’t have any serious infectious diseases that could pose a risk to public health in Spain. The certificate follows a format set by the Spanish government. The wording, the doctor, and the preparation all need to meet strict requirements before the consulate will accept it.
To see what a properly-formatted certificate looks like with all of these elements in place, see our Spanish visa medical certificate example.
This is the most important requirement and the one most commonly got wrong. The certificate must state that you don’t suffer from any disease with serious public health implications in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005). The exact phrasing matters. A generic letter from your doctor saying you’re in good health won’t be accepted. Read our full guide on what your Spanish visa medical certificate should say to learn more.
In the USA, the certificate must be signed by a Medical Doctor (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). Spanish consulates explicitly state that certificates signed by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) or Physician Assistants (PAs) will not be accepted, no matter how well-prepared the certificate is otherwise. If you’re using your usual primary care provider or a walk-in clinic, confirm in advance that an MD or DO will be signing.
The certificate must include the issuing doctor’s medical license number. This is required by every Spanish consulate as proof of the doctor’s credentials. Without it, the certificate will be rejected.
The doctor’s signature must be handwritten in ink. Not printed, not digital, not stamped. The consulate needs to see the original handwritten signature on the document you submit.
The certificate must carry the doctor’s or medical center’s official stamp, confirming the identity and credentials of the issuing doctor.
The certificate must be issued on the doctor’s or medical center’s official letterhead. A plain sheet of paper, even with all the right wording and signatures, won’t be accepted. If you’re working with a doctor who’s open to it, the bilingual templates used at US Spanish consulates can be printed onto their letterhead.
The consulate needs the certificate in Spanish. If yours was issued in English only, you’ll need a sworn translation from a translator officially registered with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If your certificate is bilingual, with English and Spanish on the same document, you’re already covered and don’t need to arrange a separate translation.
The certificate is only valid for three months from the date it was signed. It must have been issued within the 90 days before you submit your visa application at your BLS appointment. If it’s older than that, the consulate will reject it and ask for a new one.
A scan, a photocopy, or a PDF won’t be accepted. The consulate needs the original paper document, the one with the doctor’s actual wet ink signature on it. Everything needs to arrive together at your appointment.
This is one of the most common questions US applicants ask, and the answer is straightforward: no, US applicants do not need an apostille for the medical certificate.
This is a key difference from UK applicants, who need their certificates apostilled through the FCDO before submission. For US applicants, the certificate is accepted by Spanish consulates without any additional legalization, provided it meets all the requirements listed above.
Don’t panic. Most issues are fixable, but it’s important to act quickly. If the wording is wrong or the certificate has expired, you’ll need a new one. If the certificate was signed by an NP or PA instead of an MD or DO, the same applies.
If your BLS appointment is coming up and you’ve spotted a problem with your certificate, the fastest route is usually to order a fresh one from a specialist service that can issue it the same day.
Every certificate we issue for US applicants meets all the requirements above as standard: correct IHR 2005 wording, licensed MD signature, doctor’s license number, wet ink signature, official stamp, headed paper, and bilingual English/Spanish format. The original is shipped to your US address by priority courier.
Everything is done online, with no appointment needed, and we’re on hand seven days a week. Got a question? Drop us a message at hello@wilmerhealth.com.