How to Read a Spanish Death Certificate: Literal & Multilingual Certificates Explained

When someone dies in Spain, the death certificate is one of the most important documents the family will receive.

It may be needed to deal with banks, insurance companies, pensions, probate, property, consulates or authorities outside Spain. However, Spanish death documentation can look quite different from the documents families are familiar with in the UK, Ireland or other countries.

There are also several documents that are commonly referred to as a “death certificate”, although they serve different purposes.

In this guide, we explain:

• The difference between the medical and Civil Registry death certificates
• How Spain’s digital death certificates work
• The difference between a Literal and Multilingual death certificate
• How to read the information contained in them
• Why some information may be missing
• Whether you need original paper copies
• When a death certificate may need an Apostille, translation or other legalisation for use abroad

If you are dealing with a death now and are unsure what happens next, see our What to Do When Someone Dies in Spain – Step-by-Step Guide for Expats.

What Is a Death Certificate in Spain?

There is an important distinction between the medical certificate confirming the death and the official death certificate issued following registration at the Spanish Civil Registry (Registro Civil).

1. Certificado Médico de Defunción – Medical Death Certificate

The Certificado Médico de Defunción is the medical documentation used to certify that a person has died.

It is normally completed by the attending doctor. Where a death requires judicial investigation, a forensic doctor (Médico Forense) and the court may instead become involved in the process.

This document is used as part of the process of registering the death.

It should not be confused with the official Civil Registry certificate that the family will subsequently use for legal and administrative purposes.

2. Civil Registry Death Certificate

Once the death has been registered, the Registro Civil creates the official legal record of the death.

The family can then receive a Civil Registry death certificate.

Today, these certificates are issued electronically, and there are two formats that are particularly important for international families:

• Certificación Literal de Defunción – the detailed Literal Death Certificate
• Certificado Plurilingüe de Defunción – the Multilingual Death Certificate or extract

They contain information from the same Civil Registry record, but they are presented differently and are not interchangeable for every purpose.

Spanish Death Certificates Are Now Digital

One of the biggest changes to the Spanish system is that Civil Registry death certificates are now issued as electronic documents.

This is important because families sometimes assume that they need to obtain several stamped “original” paper certificates.

With the current digital system, the official document itself is electronic.

A modern certificate contains information allowing its authenticity to be verified, including an electronic signature, date and time of issue and verification information.

Do I need several original paper copies?

Normally, no.

Once you have received the official electronic certificate, you can:

• Keep the original digital document
• Email it when an electronic copy is accepted
• Print paper copies when required

You therefore do not generally need to apply for another death certificate simply because a bank, solicitor or other organisation wants a paper copy.

We recommend keeping the original PDF file. A printed version can be useful, but the electronic document contains the information that allows its authenticity to be verified.

What Is a Literal Death Certificate?

The Certificación Literal de Inscripción de Defunción is the detailed Civil Registry record of the death.

It contains considerably more information than simply the person’s name and date of death.

Depending on the information recorded, it can include:

Modern Literal certificates can also contain a personal Civil Registry code, electronic registration information and document verification details.

The precise information appearing on a certificate depends on what has been recorded by the Civil Registry.

What Is a Multilingual Spanish Death Certificate?

The Multilingual Death Certificate is particularly useful for families who need to present evidence of a Spanish death outside Spain.

It looks very different from the Literal certificate.

Rather than reproducing the full Spanish Civil Registry entry and then translating it into English, French or another language, the certificate uses a standardised numbered system from 1 to 13.

The fields identify information such as:

A multilingual reference index then explains what each of the numbered fields means in multiple languages.

This is how the document can be understood internationally without translating every individual field separately.

Is the Multilingual Certificate an English translation?

No.

This is an important distinction.

The Multilingual Death Certificate is not simply an English translation of the Spanish Literal Death Certificate.

It is a standardised international extract of the Civil Registry record. The numbered fields correspond with the multilingual reference index supplied with the document.

It also does not necessarily reproduce every piece of information contained in the Literal certificate.

Translation note for this page: The English translations of Spanish terms in this guide are provided to help families understand the documents. They do not replace an official or sworn translation where one is required.

Literal or Multilingual Death Certificate – Which Do I Need?

It depends on what you need the document for.

As a general guide:

The most important rule is to ask the organisation receiving the document exactly what it requires before arranging translations, Apostilles or legalisation.

A bank, probate lawyer, insurer, consulate or foreign Civil Registry may have different requirements.

Obtaining the correct document first can avoid unnecessary cost and delays later.

Why Is Information Missing From My Spanish Death Certificate?

This is one of the most common questions families ask us.

A missing field does not automatically mean that the death has been registered incorrectly.

There are several possible reasons:

• The information was not available when the death was registered
• The death was subject to judicial investigation
• A judicial autopsy was required
• Certain information was not part of the Civil Registry record
• The Multilingual certificate is an extract and therefore contains less information than the Literal certificate

This last point is particularly important.

If information appears on your Literal certificate but not on your Multilingual certificate, that does not necessarily indicate a problem. The Multilingual document is designed as an extract rather than a reproduction of every detail contained in the registration.

Why Might a Court Be Involved?

When a death is sudden, unexpected or cannot be medically certified in the normal way, the case may pass to a Juzgado de Instrucción (investigating court).

A Médico Forense may examine the deceased and a judicial autopsy may be ordered.

This can affect the documentation available to the family and the information recorded during the initial stages of the process.

If your relative’s death involved a court or forensic examination, see our Judicial Autopsy and Death Investigation in Spain guide.

If you are trying to obtain the subsequent forensic findings, see How to Request an Autopsy Report in Spain.

Does the Cause of Death Appear on a Spanish Death Certificate?

Families sometimes expect the official Civil Registry death certificate to contain the same medical information as the document completed by the doctor.

The documents have different purposes.

The Medical Death Certificate relates to the medical certification of the death.

The Civil Registry Death Certificate is the official legal record issued following registration.

You should therefore not assume that medical information or the full cause of death will appear on the Civil Registry certificate.

If a judicial autopsy has taken place, information concerning the forensic examination may instead need to be obtained through the relevant court or forensic authority.

How Do I Get a Spanish Death Certificate?

If Funecon has organised the funeral and registration, we obtain the relevant Civil Registry documentation as part of the administrative process and provide it to the family electronically once available.

Because the documents are digital, families can retain the PDF and print copies whenever required.

If you are dealing with a death that occurred previously and do not have the certificate, a certificate can still be requested from the Spanish Civil Registry.

The Spanish Ministry of Justice provides facilities for requesting Civil Registry certificates.

The information required and method of obtaining the certificate can depend upon the record and the Civil Registry concerned.

Can I Use a Spanish Death Certificate Abroad?

Yes, but having the certificate and having it accepted by a foreign authority are two different questions.

The requirements can depend on:

• The country where the document will be used
• The organisation receiving it
• The purpose for which it is required
• Whether a Literal or Multilingual certificate is accepted
• Whether authentication is required
• Whether a translation is required

This is where families can easily spend money unnecessarily.

For example, a Multilingual certificate may be sufficient for one authority, while another may specifically request a Literal certificate with additional authentication.

Does a Spanish Death Certificate Need an Apostille?

Not always.

An Apostille of The Hague is a form of authentication used for public documents being presented in another country participating in the Apostille system.

Whether one is required depends on the destination country, the receiving authority and the purpose for which the document will be used.

If an Apostille is required, it is important to ensure that you have the correct document before starting the process.

See our How to Apostille a Spanish Death Certificate guide for the specific process.

For the wider international documentation process, see our Spanish Document Authentication & Legalisation Guide.

Does a Spanish Death Certificate Need to Be Translated?

Not necessarily.

The Multilingual Death Certificate is designed to make key information in the Civil Registry record understandable internationally.

Depending on the receiving country and authority, this may remove the need for a separate translation.

However, an organisation may instead require:

• The Literal Death Certificate
• A sworn translation (traducción jurada)
• An Apostille
• Embassy or Consular legalisation
• Or a particular combination of these

We therefore recommend checking the recipient’s requirements before arranging a translation.

If you have simply been told to provide a “translated and legalised Spanish death certificate”, it is worth establishing exactly what is required before paying for either service.

Authentication, Apostille and Legalisation – How Funecon Can Help

Obtaining the death certificate is sometimes only the first step.

International families regularly need Spanish documents prepared for use in another country, for example when dealing with:

• Probate and inheritance
• Banks and financial institutions
• Insurance companies
• Pensions
• Property
• Consulates and embassies
• Foreign Civil Registries
• Repatriation or international administration

Funecon can support families with the wider documentation process.

Depending on the destination and requirements, we can help you:

• Identify which Spanish death certificate you need
• Obtain Civil Registry documentation
• Check whether a Literal or Multilingual certificate is appropriate
• Arrange an Apostille where required
• Coordinate sworn translations
• Manage authentication and legalisation
• Coordinate Embassy or Consular legalisation where required
• Prepare Spanish documents for use abroad

Before we legalise a document, we first establish where it will be used and what the receiving authority requires.

This can avoid putting a document through an Apostille, translation or embassy process that may not actually be necessary.

For more information, see our Spanish Document Authentication & Legalisation Guide.

Common Problems With Spanish Death Certificates

“I’ve been asked for an original death certificate.”

Explain that the Spanish certificate has been issued electronically and ask whether the organisation will accept the electronic PDF or a printed copy.

If they require authentication or a particular certified format, establish exactly what they require before ordering or legalising anything.

“I only received a PDF.”

That is normal for a modern electronically issued Spanish Civil Registry certificate. The PDF is not simply a scan of a paper original.

“I need several copies.”

You generally don’t need to order several separate certificates simply because you need several printed copies. Keep the electronic document and print copies when required.

“My Multilingual certificate doesn’t contain everything on my Literal certificate.”

That’s normal. The Multilingual certificate is an extract and is structured differently from the detailed Literal certificate.

“The organisation abroad won’t accept my certificate.”

First establish why.

It may require a different version of the certificate, an Apostille, a sworn translation, Embassy Legalisation or another form of authentication.

Don’t automatically assume that obtaining another copy of the same certificate will solve the problem.

“There are details missing after an autopsy.”

If the death was subject to judicial investigation, some information may need to be obtained separately through the court or forensic authorities.

See our Judicial Autopsy and Death Investigation Guide for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the official Spanish death certificate called?

The detailed Civil Registry certificate is the Certificación Literal de Defunción or Certificación Literal de Inscripción de Defunción.

A Multilingual/Plurilingual Death Certificate may also be available as an international extract of the Civil Registry record.

Is a Spanish death certificate digital?

Modern Spanish Civil Registry death certificates are issued electronically and include electronic validation information.

Can I print a Spanish death certificate myself?

Yes. If you have received the electronically issued certificate, you can retain the original PDF and print paper copies when needed.

Do I need to order several original copies?

Normally not simply for the purpose of having several paper copies. The electronic document can be retained and printed as required.

What is the difference between a Literal and Multilingual death certificate?

The Literal certificate provides the detailed Civil Registry record.

The Multilingual certificate is a standardised extract that uses numbered fields and a multilingual reference index to make the principal information easier to understand internationally.

Is the Multilingual certificate a translated Literal certificate?

No. It is a separate standardised extract of the Civil Registry record rather than a word-for-word translation of the Literal certificate.

Do I need an Apostille?

It depends on where the document is going, what it will be used for and what the receiving authority requires. Confirm those requirements before arranging an Apostille.

Do I need a sworn translation?

Not necessarily. A Multilingual certificate may be accepted without one, but some authorities specifically require a Literal certificate and sworn translation.

What if the destination country does not use the Apostille system?

A different authentication or legalisation process may be required, potentially including Embassy or Consular legalisation.

Can Funecon arrange the Apostille and legalisation for me?

Yes. Funecon can support families with obtaining documents and preparing Spanish documentation for international use, including Apostilles, translations and, where necessary, further authentication or legalisation.

Need Help With a Spanish Death Certificate?

If you have received a Spanish death certificate and are unsure what it means, which version you need or whether it needs to be authenticated for use abroad, we can help.

Funecon supports international families throughout Spain with funeral arrangements and the documentation that follows a death.

We can help with:

Death certificates → Multilingual certificates → Apostilles → Sworn translations → Authentication → Embassy legalisation

If you already have the document, tell us which country it needs to be used in and what it is being requested for, and we can help identify the appropriate next step.

Call or WhatsApp: (+34) 640 034 791
Email: support@funecon.es

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