In short: if you need an apostille for Ukrainian documents in Spain, the key fact is that Ukraine's embassy and consulates in Spain do not issue it: a different Ukrainian authority does, depending on the document type. For documents from courts, justice bodies, archives or notaries, the 2026 fee is 670 hryvnias. For a Ukrainian civil registry certificate or extract (birth, marriage, death), the consulate in Spain does handle the request to Ukraine, for 18 or 45 euros.
In person or by representative? It's mixed. The apostille itself is handled in Ukraine (or remotely with the competent Ukrainian authority, depending on the document); the consulate in Spain has no role in that. To request a document from Ukraine (vitrebuvannya) while in Spain, the application can be filed by you, by your legal representative (parents, guardians), or by someone holding a notarial power of attorney (довіреність). You don't have to go in person if you grant power of attorney to someone else.
Which authority issues the apostille, by document type? There is no single authority:
- Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVS): documents issued by the MVS and its territorial service bodies, except education and science documents.
- State Migration Service (DMS): migration, citizenship, refugee and similar documents.
- State Tax Service (DPS): tax documents.
- Ministry of Education and Science (MON): official academic documents.
- Ministry of Justice: documents from judicial bodies, courts, state archives, and documents drawn up by Ukrainian notaries. Since 26 February 2026 it is processed only through the Electronic Apostille Register (the paper register closed that date). It can be requested from Spain, under the Ministry of Justice's Order No. 3177/5 (in force since 1 February 2026). Someone abroad who holds the paper document can request the apostille by sending a request by post to any civil registry office (ДРАЦС) of the Ministry of Justice, or to the State Archival Service for an archival document. The request must include the original document or a certified copy and the payment slip for the fee (point II.6), and it is sent back to you by post. If the document is electronic, the application is filed on the Diia portal. In Ukraine, the application is made in person at those offices or before a notary. The apostille is affixed or refused within 3 working days of the application being registered.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: all other documents.
Cost of the Ministry of Justice apostille: from 1 January 2026, the fee is 670 hryvnias for individuals and 1,160 hryvnias for legal entities. That's 0.2 and 0.35 of the 3,328-hryvnia subsistence minimum. It applies only to documents from judicial bodies, courts, state archives and notaries. For documents from the other authorities (MVS, DMS, DPS, MON, Foreign Affairs) the embassy page gives no amount: confirm it with the authority that will issue the apostille. ⚠️ A different embassy page, about requesting documents and dated March 2025, mentions 51 hryvnias for the same service. That is an older figure that does not match the fee in force since 2026. Before paying, check the current amount on the official fee page or ask the authority directly.
Documents issued by the consulate itself do not need an apostille. That is a separate case: if a diplomatic or consular official of Ukraine drafts or certifies the document (for example, a consular certificate), Spain accepts it without apostille or further legalisation. This is under the 1968 London Convention (Ukraine since 6 April 2023, Spain since 1982). This does not apply to Ukrainian civil registry certificates the consulate helps you request from Ukraine (next section): those are still issued by Ukraine and, if the Spanish procedure requires it, may need their own apostille.
Requesting a Ukrainian civil registry certificate or extract (vitrebuvannya) from Spain. This covers civil status certificates (birth, marriage, death), State Register extracts, and archive certificates. Documents to bring to the consulate, one set per document requested:
- Application in 3 copies, filled in Ukrainian only.
- Ukrainian international passport (original and copy) plus a copy of the internal passport.
- Copy of the document proving your family relationship to the person named in the requested document, if relevant.
- Original document proving authority to act, if someone else is requesting on your behalf.
- Consular fee: 18 € (standard) or 45 € (if the document was already certified in Ukraine by an authorised body). Paid by card at the consulate, cash is not accepted.
Who can get a duplicate: a repeat certificate is issued to the person the record is about, or to their parents or adoptive parents if it's a birth certificate; from age 16, with your own passport. Death certificates are only issued to relatives. If a marriage has already ended, no repeat marriage certificate is issued, only an extract from the register. Extracts also go to direct-line relatives (parents, children, grandchildren), guardians and trustees. All of this can be handled through a notarial power of attorney, without going in person.
Consular districts: Madrid embassy (Aragón, Asturias, Galicia, Extremadura, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, País Vasco, La Rioja, Madrid, Navarra); Barcelona Consulate General (Cataluña, Comunidad Valenciana, Baleares); Málaga Consulate (Andalucía, Murcia, Canarias, Ceuta, Melilla). ⚠️ Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 also need an electronic military registration document for any consular procedure during martial law: see the e-VOD for men aged 18 to 60.
Do I also need an apostille and translation for Spain? Many Spanish procedures using Ukrainian documents (university degree, birth certificate for nationality) need, besides the Ukrainian apostille, a sworn translation into Spanish. Check the specific procedure: university degree recognition, nationality by residence.
Steps:
- Prepare the application (3 copies) and gather the documents from the list above.
- Book an appointment via the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry e-queue (electronic ID required; one appointment per procedure; free, no intermediaries).
- Attend the appointment: at the Madrid embassy, document requests are handled on Wednesdays and Fridays. Pay the fee by card on the spot.
- Wait for the reply from Ukraine: the source gives no fixed processing time, ask the consulate directly.
Official source: Embassy of Ukraine in Spain — apostille and legalisation, requesting documents, consular fees.
Informational only; check the official source and a professional for your specific case.
