Real cédula

The real cédula (Latin: Regium Diploma;[1] English: royal certificate), also called a real despacho (English: royal dispatch),[2][3] was, in Spanish law during the ancien régime, a dispatch from the king of Spain, issued by some council or superior court at the request of the king or on his behalf (that is, that is, by decision of the court), in which a favour was granted or some measure was taken.

[1] More specifically, the content of the order resolved some conflict of legal relevance, established some guideline of legal conduct, created some institution, appointed some royal position, granted a personal or collective right or ordered some specific action.

Currently, the concept of "royal certificate" still exists in the case of appointments, being a ratification published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) of a position historically created by a real cédula, by which a person is appointed.

Reales cédulas that were issued in the past for the founding of certain institutes continue to form part of their statutes, and can be consulted, ratified or transformed to the current constitutional model.

[4][5] There are two fundamental variants: The reales cédulas de oficio that derive from the administrative function itself, which begin with the name—if it is personalized—or with the positions or titles of the people to whom it is addressed.