₦airaland Forum

afembaba:
please respond to my mail

Chegzyco:
I think I've done that. I'm sorry for the late respond. I've been busy with work. Work in Europe is not easy lol

Chegzyco:
I think I've done that. I'm sorry for the late respond. I've been busy with work. Work in Europe is not easy lol

Quincy07:
There’s a group on fb that you can join! Will help with your visa enquiries and relocating to Spain. The name is Nigerians in Spain. Best of luck!

oseremenifidon:
Hope you had enough money in your account as bank statements.
Its basically falsified documents or insufficient money in the account that causes such delay or denial, well based on what I read though.
I am also preparing to apply for a visa they just started today this booking online for submission, I pray I get date so I can apply for my Visa soonest.
It's clear that so many people are applying to Spanish universities but its either they are not on nairaland or they just choose to be quiet.
I was shocked at the number of persons I saw at the embassy when I went for legalisation.
The dream of Nigerians is truly to leave Nigeria.

Majestybaba92:
Just came across this trend. Pls, how much do I need to have in my account before I can be given visa? I'm planning on going for masters in Spain. I want to know how much it will cost.. Thanks for your response

oseremenifidon:
9M-12M to be on a safe side.

Teejackz11009:
But firstly what's d Reason for your Visa Rejection

Teejackz11009:
Okay..And did they state the Documents that was missing?

Teejackz11009:
Only Police Report?

Teejackz11009:
And how many weeks was his visa processed before getting decisions?Was he mailed or got a phone call?

omabisco:
Booked an appointment with the consulate and went there to submit.

My school sent my transcript, letter of reference and certified true copy directly to them before the day I went to submit.

lordjonjo:
Sorry to bother you chief, were these documents sent via email or post? I am planning on doing the same for my academic documents.

rodrigomencia:
Hi, I am Rodrigo, one of the translators mentioned in this thread. Yes, I am still alive and kicking. By reading the thread, I realise about certain things that you should take into account when requesting Sworn translations:

1) A Sworn Translation is a certified translation in Spain, but only Sworn Translators can issue it. Any company or person can certify a translation, for instance, by adding their stamp to it. However, that is not legal in Spain unless such translations are stamped by a SPANISH sworn translator. Thus, be very WARY of companies trying to offer you a "certified" translation in Spain or other people from other countries different than Spain offering you sworn translations, as Spain's policy is to ONLY accept sworn translations from Spanish sworn translators duly appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2) NIPOST is unsafe. I had a bad experience with a client who wanted to have a cheaper delivery to Nigeria from Spain and it ended up badly. Since then, I only send my translations through DHL and they arrive within 48 hours since picked up. Currently I am also issuing my sworn translations with the digital signature of the Official National Mint & Stamp Factory of Spain. If the Consulate accepts them, that could speed things up and avoid the DHL fees.

3) I read a comment about someone complaining that someone (not me) was offering a low rate for his/her translations but was "money hungry" because he/she was charging a lot for the DHL delivery. This is not true (at least in my case) and, if you hire me, I can send you the DHL invoice so that you can see that I have exactly spent what I told you. In fact, after reading these comments about another translator, I will do this by default to avoid problems. I have more than 15 years of experience and have been working with Nigeria for a long time, so I think it is better to put all the cards on the table to prove honesty and good intentions, even if it is not explicitly required. It is also possible for you to arrange your own courier at your expense from Nigeria. If you or the company you work for has agreement with DHL or Fedex or other ones, you can instruct them to pick it up at my office and take the translation to you.

4) I receive documents from clients which have NOT been stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and then by the Spanish Consulate in Nigeria (in that order). It is VERY important that you ask the Spanish Consulate if your documents need to be legalised/apostilled. If so, that is how you have to do it and I need to receive the final documents, not the ones without those important stamps, as otherwise you will lose time and money.

5) It is extremely important that you verify your original documents before sending them to me. If your name is wrong, or any other particular is wrong, I CANNOT correct it, even if you provide me with your ID or affidavits. I can only translate what's on the original and I cannot add, modify or delete information. This also applies when scanning big documents. Check if you are cutting them with the scanner. If they don't fit, you can go to a photocopies place and ask for a reduction of the page into A4 format or you can scan it at home in two parts (first the upper part, then the lower part).

6) Normally, Spain requires that all official papers have been issued within the last 3 months. For instance, if you file your papers today but your Criminal Records Certificate was issued 6 months ago, you will need to request a new one. Save time and money by considering this before you send me your papers to translate, as I always try to help my clients but sometimes I cannot realise if a document will be valid or not (depends on when you are going to file the application, if you are here in Spain or still in Nigeria, etc.).

7) If you get your application rejected for any legal reason, I know 2 amazing lawyers that could sort most problems for you. They are not cheap but they solve your problem and charge you if they solve it. I know there are other lawyers that are cheap and that say a lot of things, but I've met many clients who were crying because they had been ripped off so much money for nothing by careless lawyers. If you wouldn't trust your teeth to a bad or extremely cheap dentist, don't trust your future to a bad lawyer (or your papers to a bad translator :p ). Always look for guarantees.

(from hereon I reply to questions posted below, updating my reply)
8 ) You DO NOT need to send the originals and I suggest that whoever you work with, even if you can, you NEVER leave your originals with them. The Spanish legislation requires that we attach "duly stamped and dated photocopy" (I also sign it), but we can never touch an original. Suppose you give me your original university degree and I stamp it... It would be ruined. NEVER hand your originals to anyone except at the Consulate or Ministry, as they are going to give them back to you and they are official authorities.

9) If you have stamps on the reverse side of the documents, you MUST ALSO SCAN IT. Even if it is a small signature or a small addendum. Always scan the full document as we, sworn translators, need to include everything.

10) Payment can be made through wire transfer (bank transfer or Paypal). If you know someone living in Spain, you could also instruct this person to make the payment for you and then you give the money to them (as sometimes clients don't have or don't want to use Paypal). If you use Paypal, I would be very very very grateful if you could use the option "send money to friends", as with the option "Pay for services/products" I end up paying Paypal around 3,5% of the total amount. The quality and guarantee of my services are guaranteed through my quote and, in case of any problem, I will always be there through Whatsapp, email or phone.

11) Always make sure you're dealing with the authorised Sworn Translator himself/herself. If it is a third party named X and you receive a stamp from Z, BEWARE, as there are some scams in which a person makes a copy of our official stamp and starts issuing fake translations. In the end this is found out by the police (they ask us if we have signed the translations from time to time) and the status of all the people affected by this is immediately reverted to ILLEGAL until they provide the legal versions of their translations. This happened in the past with Pakistan and these people are already being chased by Interpol, apart from having been assaulted by angry clients who destroyed their offices for getting them in trouble with their papers. If in doubt, contact the Spanish Ministry of Affairs and find out the official particulars of the translator you deal with. Make sure you always write to such email address or make phone calls to such phone number. In Spain there are agencies which subhire sworn translators, yes, and that is not illegal. But it's up to the client to make sure who they are dealing with.

12) Last but not least, thank you so much for your recommendations and kind words.

If you have any doubt or comment, you can send me WhatsApp messages, call me through Skype or WhatsApp or send me an email. I will gladly try to solve your doubts.

Kind regards.

Rodrigo
Sworn Translator

Quincy07:
So I just submitted my documents for legalization at the Spanish Embassy. Just for an update and benefit of those you are processing their student visas now...

It’s virtually the same requirements as we all have been talking about.

It still cost N3,000 per page.

Make sure your school sends your official transcripts, copy of certificate and a reference letter to avoid being investigated.

I used my NPC birth certificate and she only asked for my age and said she doesn’t need to investigate it. By the way I was born 1991. Just stamp it at Min of Foreign Affairs or you can get a CTC stamp from NPC Abuja and legalize that same copy in MFA.

WAEC Certificate doesn’t need legalization if your going for masters.

Make sure all your documents have the stamp of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to avoid being sent back.

Also they don’t like it when you laminate your documents so if you have them laminated, you can try to peel off the back only before you get there.

I will post further updates when necessary. And I’ve been asked to pick up my documents in two days time. Start on time and be organized, you won’t have issues.

Good luck everyone

uchman:
.

Teejackz11009:
My own school sent the Original receipt documents to me through Courier....Nobody has answered my question o....5 weeks now no response from the embassy...what can be the cause?Or can I go them to ask?

Teejackz11009:
I have already emailed them severely but no response from them....don't even know what to do

Teejackz11009:
My school said there is nothing they can do about it because it's not allowed unless the embassy request anything from them