Last Updated on April 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
Medical certificate for the Spain Non Lucrative Visa: Looking for information from anyone who has recently applied through the Toronto consulate (bonus if you are based on the West Coast).
Did you get your medical certificate notarized or otherwise authenticated? If you did, what was the process? Did the notary come to your appointment or were you able to bring the certificate to their office afterwards? Thank you!
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These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
“Did mine in Vancouver one year ago. Took my doctor’s cert (actually just a statement taken from a template from the consulate) and went to the notary’s office. Very simple. Then had it apostilled.”
“We went through Montreal in Dec 2023. We got ours from a Travel Clinic. Had to take a TB test. The criteria for us for the consulate was that the letters were on letterhead paper, the wording as per posted on the website was in English and Spanish, they were dated, and signed by a doctor.
At that time, only government-issued foreign documents (foreign to Spain) needed to be authenticated (apostilled) such as Canadian marriage certificates and the RCMP check. We used Summit Travel in Montreal to get our certificates.”
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“I’m from Vancouver and last year I had to get my medical certificate notarized from an approved notary (there’s a list on the Authentication BC website of notaries) and then I had to send it to Authentication BC for the apostille. Took about a month back in June. I went to Leonardo & Crothers Notary Corp in North Burnaby.”
Conclusion
Based on the experiences of Canadian applicants and the official requirements of the Toronto Spanish Consulate, if you are applying for the Spain non lucrative visa, your medical certificate must be:
- Legalized with the Hague Apostille Certification (issued by Global Affairs Canada or the appropriate provincial authority like Authentication BC),
- Translated into Spanish, and
- Include the official wording required by the consulate:
“This medical certificate confirms that Mr./Ms. [……] does not suffer from any of the diseases that can have serious implications for public health in accordance with the provisions of the 2005 International Health Regulations.”
Some applicants used travel clinics or their own doctors, followed by notarization and apostille. The process varies slightly by Canadian province, but typically includes obtaining the signed certificate, notarizing it through an approved notary, and submitting it for apostille. Translation into Spanish is also mandatory.
Planning ahead is essential, as the apostille process alone can take several weeks. It’s highly recommended to double-check the consulate’s official checklist and confirm if your province has additional steps.
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