Changing school, certificates, absences and collecting a child in Spain
In Spain each region governs admission to state and state-funded schools: a place, even in the middle of the year, is applied for on the region's free form. Once the place is given, the request to transfer the pupil's records takes the pupil off the current school's roll and asks it to send the academic record and the transfer report to the new school (Spanish Royal Decrees 157/2022 and 217/2022). The request for a school certificate asks the school office for a certificate of enrolment, marks or studies; in Galicia the enrolment certificate can be downloaded free from ABALAR.
Absences are justified under each school's and region's rules. The parent's note justifying an absence tells the class tutor of a past or planned absence for a family matter, a trip or an unavoidable duty, without health data. The authorisation to collect a child from school identifies the person who may collect the child by their DNI or NIE and is signed by the person authorising and the authorised person; many schools have their own free form.
Requests to a state school are handed in at its office, at any public registry office or at a post office as «correo administrativo»; in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Galicia, the Basque Country and Navarre the school also accepts the co-official language. The documents are in Spanish, apply throughout Spain, are up to date as at 19 October 2026 and are not official documents: DocMuse is a private paid service.
The documents
4 forms available to fill out or download.
Request for a school enrolment or academic certificate (Spain)
A Spanish written request, in Spanish, for an adult student, or a parent or guardian of a student in Spain, who needs a certificate from the school: of enrolment in the current year, of the marks obtained, or of the studies completed. It is addressed to the school office or the head, states what the certificate is for and how it is to be delivered. In some Spanish regions the enrolment certificate can be downloaded free from the regional education platform. Hand it in at the school office against a stamped copy, or file it through a public registry.
Parent's note justifying a pupil's absence from school (Spain)
A Spanish note, in Spanish, for a parent or guardian of a pupil in Spain who wants to justify to the class tutor an absence that has happened, or announce one ahead: a family matter, a trip, an unavoidable duty, an errand during school hours. It gives the dates and the reason, asks for the absence to be treated as justified under the school's rules, and asks what work to catch up on. It is not for absences through illness, which are justified as the school says. Hand it over, put it in the pupil's planner or send it through the school's app.
Authorisation for someone to collect a child from school (Spain)
A Spanish authorisation, in Spanish, for a parent or guardian of a child in Spain who wants to allow another person (a grandparent, a neighbour, a childminder) to collect the child at the end of the school day. It identifies the person authorising, the child and the authorised person with their DNI or NIE, and sets the days or the period it covers; both the person authorising and the authorised person sign it. Hand it to the school office or the class tutor. Many Spanish schools have their own free form.
Request to transfer a pupil's records on changing school (Spain)
A Spanish written request, in Spanish, for a parent or guardian of a primary or lower-secondary pupil in Spain who changes school during the year and already has a place at the new school. It tells the current school that the pupil is leaving, asks it to send the academic record (historial académico) and the transfer report (informe personal por traslado) to the new school, and asks for a certificate of enrolment. The place itself is applied for first through the region's admission procedure, on its free form. Hand it in at the school office against a stamped copy, or file it through a public registry.
Can't find the document you need?
Asking is free. Tell us which form or letter you need, for which country and in which language. We write the ones people ask for — leave your email and we will tell you when yours is ready.