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Sexual offences certificate for football coaches in Spain: how to get it and who requires it

Q: Where do you get the sexual offences certificate?

On the Ministry of Justice electronic office, with Cl@ve, DNIe or an FNMT certificate. You can also request it in person at the Ministry's Gerencias Territoriales or at the Government Delegations and Subdelegations (check whether your office requires an appointment). It is the only certificate issued for working habitually with minors in Spain.

Q: Can you get it online without a digital certificate?

Yes, with Cl@ve, which you obtain at offices of the Tax Agency, Social Security, the Public Employment Service or the Government Delegations. If you have no identification system, the Ministry lets you start the request online and then go to an office to prove your identity, or request it in person (check whether your office requires an appointment).

Q: How long does it take and how much does it cost?

It is free and, as a general rule, issued on the spot. For in-person requests with technical incidents, the wait is usually no more than 3 working days, and the administration's legal maximum is 10 working days. Citizens of other EU countries also wait for their state's reply, which has 20 working days.

Q: How long is the certificate valid?

The Ministry does not require it to be proved periodically as long as nothing justifies a new request, although an employer may ask again if it suspects a later conviction. Each organisation sets its own period: the RFFM requires a new certificate every 12 months of activity or on each new joining. Check with your club and federation.

Q: Does a volunteer coach or a parent who helps need it?

Article 57 of the LOPIVI covers activities that are paid or unpaid with regular contact with minors, so an unpaid coach is included. A parent who helps now and then falls outside if dealings with the children are merely occasional; if they help every week, ask the club.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-24

Spain's sexual offences certificate is free and issued online by the Ministry of Justice, and article 57 of the LOPIVI requires it from anyone working with minors, paid or not.

Where: the Ministry's electronic office, with Cl@ve, DNIe or an FNMT certificate.
Time and cost: issued on the spot and free of charge.
Validity: the Ministry sets no periodic renewal; each organisation sets its own period, and the RFFM protocol asks for a new one every 12 months.
When it is asked for: when the federation licence is processed; some calls, such as Ceuta's, ask for it at enrolment.

Who has to hold the certificate

Article 57 of the LOPIVI (Organic Law 8/2021) bars people with final convictions for sexual offences or human trafficking from activities involving regular contact with children. The requirement is proved with a negative certificate from the Central Registry of Sex Offenders and Human Trafficking.

Paid and unpaid activities both count. Section 2 defines regular contact as repeated, direct and regular dealings, not merely occasional, with children and adolescents, and includes in every case activities whose main recipients are minors. A grassroots football coach fits, salaried or not, and so does a volunteer.

Article 57 is the current legal basis. If you see article 13.5 of Organic Law 1/1996 on the Legal Protection of Minors cited, that paragraph no longer exists: the eighth final provision of the LOPIVI repealed it, with effect from 25 June 2021.

An ordinary criminal record certificate does not replace it. Article 57 asks for the certificate of the Central Registry of Sex Offenders, and the Ministry of Justice states it is the only certificate issued for working habitually with minors in Spain.

For the full route, start with how to become a grassroots football coach.

How to request it, step by step

The recommended route is online, on the electronic office of the Ministry of Justice. To identify yourself you need Cl@ve (Spain's digital identification system), an electronic ID card (DNIe) or an FNMT digital certificate, and as a general rule the certificate is issued on the spot.

No digital ID: start online, then prove your identity at an FNMT or Cl@ve office.
In person: at a Ministry of Justice territorial office or Government Delegation. Check whether you need an appointment.
Timing: usually issued on the spot; technical issues can take up to 3 working days. The legal maximum is 10.
Cost: free.
Verification: use the Secure Verification Code (CSV).

Anyone over 16 requests it personally. For a child under 16, the legal representative makes the request through the specific procedure for representing minors.

Citizens of other EU countries who are not Spanish wait longer: the Ministry asks the state of their nationality for their records, which has 20 working days to reply, and issues a joint certificate once the answer arrives.

How long it stays valid

The Ministry sets no periodic renewal. A new certificate may be requested if there are grounds to check for later convictions. The document reflects the registry on its issue date.

An organisation may ask for a recent one. The RFFM protocol requires a new certificate every 12 months of activity or when joining. That is a federation rule, not a general legal requirement; check the deadline with your club and federation.

The reform is not law yet. The draft approved at first reading on 5 May 2026 would require annual sexual-offences and criminal-record certificates for people working with children, and expand the offences that bar this work. Until final approval, current article 57 applies.

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When football bodies ask for it

RFEF competitions require it in two cases under Circular 34. Article 98 lists it among the documents the club files with the coach's contract. Article 104.11 requires it for other licences, including those for delegates, doctors, fitness coaches and kit managers. Regional competitions follow their own federation rules.

Usually, you submit it with your federation licence. Ask whether you also need it for the trainee licence during your course, and have it ready before placements begin. Our UEFA C licence guide explains how this step fits in.

Some course notices ask for it earlier. Ceuta included the certificate in its 2026/27 UEFA C entry requirements. Check the course notice before paying; our guide explains how to enrol on a coaching course.

Authorising your club or federation to check it for you

TeAutorizo is the Ministry of Justice application through which companies, associations and volunteer organisations register and download the certificates of the people who authorise them. You do not have to obtain it yourself and send it to the club.

You grant the authorisation in the Mi Carpeta Ciudadana app and can revoke it at any time from the same app. Once granted, the organisation downloads the authorised certificates in one go and as often as it needs. Ask your club or federation whether they use TeAutorizo before requesting it yourself.

To check your own data, the "Mis datos personales" section of Carpeta Ciudadana provides a statement of what the Central Registry of Sex Offenders holds about you, with DNIe or Cl@ve identification.

What the certificate does not guarantee

It only shows registered final convictions. The certificate reports what the Central Registry holds on its issue date; it does not show open cases or conduct without a conviction. A 2023 Save the Children report cited in the LOPIVI draft reform says 96% of sexual offenders had no prior conviction.

It does not replace the club's protection protocols. The LOPIVI also requires protection measures and an appointed officer (art. 48). See what this means for a coach in our guide to the LOPIVI and grassroots football.

Frequently asked questions

Where do you get the sexual offences certificate?

On the Ministry of Justice electronic office, with Cl@ve, DNIe or an FNMT certificate. You can also request it in person at the Ministry's Gerencias Territoriales or at the Government Delegations and Subdelegations (check whether your office requires an appointment). It is the only certificate issued for working habitually with minors in Spain.

Can you get it online without a digital certificate?

Yes, with Cl@ve, which you obtain at offices of the Tax Agency, Social Security, the Public Employment Service or the Government Delegations. If you have no identification system, the Ministry lets you start the request online and then go to an office to prove your identity, or request it in person (check whether your office requires an appointment).

How long does it take and how much does it cost?

It is free and, as a general rule, issued on the spot. For in-person requests with technical incidents, the wait is usually no more than 3 working days, and the administration's legal maximum is 10 working days. Citizens of other EU countries also wait for their state's reply, which has 20 working days.

How long is the certificate valid?

The Ministry does not require it to be proved periodically as long as nothing justifies a new request, although an employer may ask again if it suspects a later conviction. Each organisation sets its own period: the RFFM requires a new certificate every 12 months of activity or on each new joining. Check with your club and federation.

Do I need it for the UEFA C course or only for the licence?

It depends on the federation. It is usually submitted when the federation licence is processed, and the RFEF Competition Regulations mention it for the coach's contract in RFEF competitions (art. 98). Some calls, such as the Ceuta 2026/27 one, list it among the course access requirements. Check the call before paying the enrolment fee.

Does a volunteer coach or a parent who helps need it?

Article 57 of the LOPIVI covers activities that are paid or unpaid with regular contact with minors, so an unpaid coach is included. A parent who helps now and then falls outside if dealings with the children are merely occasional; if they help every week, ask the club.