dar el visto bueno
verbCEFR B2
What does “dar el visto bueno” mean in English?
to sign off on, to give approval
to sign off on, to give approval (dar el visto bueno a — administrative approval that something is correct and can proceed)
Example sentences
La directora ya ha dado el visto bueno al presupuesto y podemos proceder con las contrataciones previstas.
The director has already signed off on the budget and we can proceed with the planned hirings.
Necesitamos el visto bueno del departamento jurídico antes de enviar la propuesta al cliente.
We need sign-off from the legal department before sending the proposal to the client.
¿Ya tiene el visto bueno de recursos humanos para contratar al candidato seleccionado?
Has HR given the green light to hire the selected candidate?
How to use it
Dar el visto bueno a means 'to sign off on', 'to approve', or 'to give the go-ahead'. It is a fixed idiomatic phrase used for formal or quasi-formal approvals in workplace contexts. Pattern: dar el visto bueno a + noun. The visto bueno (literally 'good seen') is the act of review and approval. It is more administrative than dar luz verde (which signals the opening of something new) and more colloquial than validar (technical verification). Register: neutral-formal; widely used in Spanish workplaces.
Common mistake
The phrase must be: dar el visto bueno a + noun — the definite article el is fixed. *'Dar visto bueno' (without el) is non-standard. Contrast with dar luz verde a: luz verde signals the start of something (green light to begin); el visto bueno is a procedural approval that may or may not trigger action immediately.